The Region VIII job market, 2023.

In 2023 the Eastern Visayas labor market saw a robust surge of 141,920 registered jobseekers, an increase of 61.3 percent compared with the previous year. The region had 2,018 employers and 26,950 job vacancies. The high year‑on‑year rise in seekers reflects a growing search for work, while the vacancy count indicates a still‑present demand for labor.

The workforce is fairly balanced by gender: 44.4 percent are male and 55.6 percent are female. Almost half of all seekers – 45.2 percent – are presently employed. The educational profile shows that candidates with high‑school and college credentials dominate the labor pool, with 27,402 high‑school graduates and 22,641 college graduates. Elementary‑level and vocational workers are comparatively fewer, suggesting that many jobseekers hold at least a secondary education, which aligns with occupations that typically require basic literacy and numeracy skills.

At the provincial level, Samar has the largest number of jobseekers (43,112) but only 3,828 vacancies, a stark gap between supply and demand. Leyte and Northern Samar also have high seeker rates relative to vacancies, with 32,419 and 30,296 seekers respectively, against 14,726 and 7,423 vacancies. Biliran and Southern Leyte, with 11,046 and 17,112 seekers, have very few openings (98 and 532 vacancies). These disparities point to uneven job creation and potential short‑term labor shortages in the more populous provinces.

Occupations most sought after are cashier, service crew, production worker, sales lady, and sales clerk, indicating a strong demand for front‑line and warehouse roles. PESOs might coordinate training programs that target these in‑demand positions, especially in provinces with the largest supply‑demand gaps. At the policy level, encouraging employers in Samar, Leyte, and Northern Samar to create more entry‑level positions could help close the regional mismatch between jobseekers and available jobs.