DAVAO CITY, Philippines — When Rean graduated from the University of Mindanao (UM) with a degree in Tourism Management, she imagined a future in aviation. Like many tourism students, she dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, believing that years of study would eventually carry her to the career she had long dreamed.
“Life after graduation is so hard. Finding a job is really difficult,” Rean said. She had made her ambitions clear early on, yet the path diverged. “I kind of feel like my expectations didn’t meet reality.”
She is grateful to have work in the city government but the gap between aspiration and circumstance is hard to ignore.
Her experience is far from unique. Across the country, many fresh graduates are discovering that a diploma does not automatically translate into employment aligned with their field of study.
For Chelsy, another UM graduate, the transition from school to work was marked by uncertainty and mounting frustration.
“I thought that once I graduated and got my diploma, it would be really easy to find a job,” she said.
After graduation, she submitted applications to numerous companies and sat through more than 20 interviews. Employment remained elusive.
“I was exhausted. There are so many things I have to do, and there are no responses,” she said.
Despite their different circumstances, both women share a common reality: the widening disconnect between educational attainment and meaningful employment.
According to the Commission on Higher Education, 32,573 students graduated in the Davao Region last year.
Thousands of graduates remain unemployed
The struggles of Rean and Chelsy reflect a broader national concern.
According to data cited by IBON Foundation, 2.6 million Filipinos were officially unemployed as of March 2026. Of that number, approximately 901,000 or 35 percent were college graduates.
For IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa, the figures challenge the long-held assumption that higher education alone guarantees economic mobility.
“The burden of job creation is on the government,” he said. “The main engine of job creation in this country will have to be Filipino industry and Filipino agriculture.”
Africa emphasized that the problem extends beyond individual choices and reflects deeper structural weaknesses in the economy. Research from the International Labour Organization has similarly flagged persistent challenges in youth unemployment, skills mismatches, and job quality in the Philippines, even as overall employment figures have shown modest improvement.
Forced to settle
For many graduates, taking jobs outside their field is not a matter of preference, it is a matter of survival.
Rean explained that pursuing a career in aviation requires resources she does not yet have. Recruitment activities are largely concentrated in Manila and Cebu, demanding travel, preparation, and added expenses that are out of reach for many provincial graduates.
Faced with financial pressure, she took what was available.
“Any available work should be offered to me, as long as I can work,” she said.
Cobbie Canda, regional chairperson of Kabataan Partylist Southern Mindanao, said this experience has grown increasingly common among young professionals.
“Most fresh graduates land jobs in sectors or fields they didn’t study for,” Canda said.
He attributed the trend to a shortage of quality employment and persistently low wages across many industries.
“There is a lack of job opportunities in this country — not just job opportunities, but also decent pay and dignified working conditions,” he said.
As a result, many graduates gravitate toward industries such as business process outsourcing and virtual assistance, where salaries often exceed what is offered in roles directly tied to their academic training.
Beyond job mismatch
Both IBON Foundation and Kabataan Partylist argue that the crisis runs deeper than individual employability.
Africa called for an expansion of industries capable of generating large-scale, sustainable employment.
“It’s about creating and building Filipino industry, developing Filipino agriculture, and giving universal social services including quality education to all our youth,” he said.
IBON Foundation advocates for a national development strategy centered on strengthening domestic industries and agriculture, alongside closer alignment between educational institutions and long-term economic planning.
Canda echoed that view, arguing that lasting solutions require a fundamental shift in government priorities toward national industrialization, higher wages, expanded access to free education, greater public investment in state universities and colleges, and the creation of stable, dignified jobs.
“The call is for a perspective where our government builds national industries. It’s not just jobs that it will provide; it will also boost our economy,” he said.
Creating industries capable of absorbing skilled workers, he added, would not only address unemployment but give graduates careers that actually use the education they spent years pursuing.
For Rean, the dream of becoming a flight attendant remains alive. For Chelsy, the search for stable work continues despite repeated setbacks. Their stories reflect the reality faced by thousands of Filipino graduates who entered adulthood believing education would open doors to opportunity.
But as unemployment among degree holders persists and more young professionals find themselves working outside their fields, the question is no longer whether graduates are prepared for work. Increasingly, it is whether the Philippine economy is prepared for its graduates.(davaotoday.com)
