Hiring startup PasaJob targets 10 million users by year’s end

PASAJOB, a job referral platform, said it is looking to grow its user base to 10 million, touting its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to match jobseekers with prospective employers.

“For now, with our 2.5 million users, we’re very focused on Metro Manila. Part of our plan this year is to expand outside Metro Manila,” PasaJob CEO Eddie F. Ybañez told BusinessWorld, seeking new users in Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Davao.

PasaJob, in collaboration with electronic wallet provider GCash, offers a range of blue- and white-collar jobs across industries like retail, sales, and information technology-business process outsourcing.

The platform, known as GJobs, connects employers and job seekers through long-chain referrals. This is expected to address inefficiencies and mismatching in the talent marketplace.

Since its launch in 2023, GJobs has onboarded 2.5 million users, generating about 400,000 job applications and one million job referrals.

PasaJob is also looking to increase its partnerships with various employers to expand its job listings.

“Last year, our focus really was acquiring users as applicants or referrers. But now, we have doubled down in terms of reaching out to the partners on the other side — which are our employers,” Mr. Ybañez said.

The number of jobless increased to 1.63 million in December from 1.6 million a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

GJobs allows job applications and profiles to be filed via the GCash app.

The platform’s long-chain referral system allows users to pass around job vacancies within their network. If a candidate gets hired, each participant in the referral line gets a portion of the referral fee.

PasaJob offers a minimum referral fee of P1,000 to motivate the network of referrers to actively promote job openings.

Applicants hired through the platform also get a hiring bonus of at least P500, according to Mr. Ybañez.

Companies may increase the hiring and referral fees at their own discretion. Rewards can be accessed via the My Wallet section of GCash.

Job referrals shorten the hiring period from 42 days to 29 days on average, with referred employees having 70% longer tenures than the others, PasaJob said in a statement.

PasaJob’s AI generates a “matching score” based on whether applicants’ credentials match the qualifications of the job applied for.

Likewise, the platform’s “invite to apply” option recommends users who have not applied but may fit a job opening.

“Because we value privacy, you cannot see the whole profile of the users that matched — all you can do as an employer is invite them to apply,” Mr. Ybañez said.

Employers can only access a user’s profile once they’ve applied for a job, he added.

The platform allows job applicants to conduct asynchronous interviews, with AI used to provide employers with a summary and transcript.

PasaJob is also looking to collaborate with organizations to integrate short courses into the GJobs platform, allowing users to earn a certificate or badge and increase their hireability.

“With our job platform built around smarter referrals, these enterprises can quickly find the talent they need and at scale,” Mr. Ybañez said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz