For Filipinos, virtual assistant trumps doctor as ‘dream job’. But what’s the reality?

When Mark Ifurung left his 18-year career as an IT professional in May, he was happy to ditch his two-hour commutes from his home in Cavite province south of Manila to his office in Makati City.

So for his fresh start, the 40-year-old father of four wanted something that would allow him to work from home. “After being unemployed for five months, I decided to explore freelancing,” he said. “With my background in IT operations and application support, I realised I already have transferable skills that I can offer to clients.”

While job hunting online, he came across information on the “virtual assistant” industry and was lured by the idea of flexibility and attractive pay.

Ifurung is one of a growing number of Filipinos gravitating to virtual assistant work, a booming sector of the Philippines’ offshore labour industry that has steadily risen post-pandemic.