GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 August) — For many fresh graduates in General Santos City, earning a college degree no longer guarantees a job that matches their skills.

Cris Purgo, a recent graduate with a degree in English Language Studies, now works as a mall clerk, far from his dream of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to children and foreign learners.

“It’s far from what I expected. But at least I can use the skills I learned with my degree when dealing with people,” Purgo told MindaNews in a phone interview.

Competition, he said, can be tough, with many employers favoring female applicants for cashier or ESL roles.

“You have to work twice or even three times harder to compete,” he added.

Purgo’s experience reflects a growing local and national problem.

According to the 2024 Annual Labor Market Statistics for South Cotabato, released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on August 8, employment rose to 97.1 percent while unemployment fell to 2.9 percent. 

Yet underemployment, working fewer hours than desired or in jobs below one’s skill level, jumped from 14 percent in 2023 to 22.6 percent in 2024. 

Across the broader SOCCSKSARGEN region (Region 12), the rate of underemployment increased from 25.3 percent to 30.7 percent.

The PSA attributes this to a mismatch between workers’ skills and job requirements, limited full-time opportunities, and an increase in part-time and seasonal employment, particularly in agriculture and informal sectors.

A national problem

Nationally, college graduates now account for 38 percent of the unemployed, up from 35.6 percent in December 2024, according to the June 2025 Labor Force Survey.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said during the INNOTECH Seminar Series on Education, Innovation, and Technology in Quezon City on August 13 that the rise signals a persistent mismatch between graduates’ skills and available jobs.

“Even when job opportunities exist, there is a persistent mismatch between available jobs and graduates’ skills. Our graduates are highly educated, yet many cannot find work that fully utilizes their training and competencies,” she said.

Agrupis cited the Department of Labor and Employment’s nationwide job fairs held in January 2025, where only 3,364 out of 25,876 job seekers were hired, and most were placed in low-skilled roles that do not require a college degree.

While overall unemployment eased to 3.7 percent in June 2025, and underemployment remained relatively low, Agrupis said these averages mask deeper structural issues.

“Graduates are struggling to secure jobs aligned with their qualifications, while industries face shortages of the skilled workers they need,” she said.

Behind the statistics are graduates like Purgo, who are seeking employment aligned with their education.

“I just want to teach. Even unrelated jobs require numerous steps and stiff competition. So until then, I’ll take whatever I can get,” Purgo said. (Guia A. Rebollido/MindaNews)