Over 20,000 Filipinos file virtual assistant applications monthly

The Philippines is seeing a surge in virtual assistant (VA) applications, with monthly job submissions exceeding 20,000, according to a report by global recruitment agency VA Masters.

Data from the State of the Filipino Virtual Assistant Industry report showed that the company’s monthly application volume increased from 10,857 in January to 23,874 in June, representing a more than double increase in the first half of the year.

“Everyone talks about the Philippines as a source of affordable talent,” VA Masters Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alon Pearl said in the report.

“What the data actually shows is a talent pool so deep that we place fewer than one in 500 applicants,” he added. “The story here isn’t cost, it’s selectivity.”

A VA offers administrative, marketing, technical, and customer service support to clients from a remote office. Common tasks include managing email, handling social media, bookkeeping, data entry, and customer support.

Despite the rise in applications, the agency noted that only 0.20% of its applicants, or 327 out of 166,350, were actually hired by employers.

Throughout the hiring process, 49% are invited to a skills test, and only 8.3% complete the screening. Some 4.5% are scored and evaluated, while 1.2% can score an interview.

The majority of those who applied (61.5%) and got hired (69%) were female.

On the employers’ side, 69% of the agency’s clients are located in the United States. The United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Europe, and other countries followed at 11%, while Australia and New Zealand trailed behind at 9%.

86% of VA demands also come from businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Of which, 53% are micro-businesses, 30% from small businesses, and 3% are solo-founders.

Larger companies, or those that handle over 200 employees, accounted for 8% of the demands, while mid-size companies accounted for 5%.

“The offshore VA model is above all a small-business growth tool,” the agency said. “For many, a VA is their first or second hire.”

The Philippines accounts for an estimated 38% of the global VA workforce, making it the single largest source of VA talent worldwide. The global virtual assistant services market is estimated to reach $6.5 billion in 2026, and is expected to hit $34 billion by 2030. — Almira Louise S. Martinez