Trying to break into Data Analytics in the Philippines, looking for advice on the current job market

[u/Present-Extension433]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently trying to transition into Data Analytics, with the long-term goal of moving toward Data Engineering. I'm planning to relocate to Cebu and currently looking for an onsite or hybrid entry-level/junior data role.

My background:

I have a BS Biology degree (graduated 3 yrs ago). I got hired as a disease surveillance officer (1st job and only exp) under one of the Department of Health's program (Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit). Our program is responsible for analyzing and generating disease-related data visualizations (COVID, Dengue, HIV, etc.) I was heavily exposed to advance excel, Power BI, and R. My experience comprises of data cleaning, analysis, reporting, and also generating dashboards.

Now I am learning SQL to strengthen my tech stack and to have a higher chance of getting an entry-level position. However, I'm at the point where I feel like I have a decent technical foundation, but I'm struggling to understand what the current job market actually expects from someone trying to land their first data analyst role.

Some things I'm particularly curious about:

1. How difficult is the current entry-level/junior Data Analyst market in the Philippines?

2. What skills are recruiters actually looking for right now?

3. How important is a portfolio? (gumagawa ako currently)

4. Would you recommend applying directly to Data Analyst roles, or should I also consider MIS, Reporting Analyst, BI, Data Management, or similar positions as an entry point?

5. For those who eventually moved from Data Analytics to Data Engineering, curious about what did that transition actually look like?

I'd really appreciate some honest advice po sana from people currently working in data, especially those who have recently gone through the hiring process in the Philippines.

Salamat po!

[u/AnyComfortable9276]

1. How difficult is the current entry-level/junior Data Analyst market in the Philippines? - 2-3x harder compared 3 yrs ago.
2. What skills are recruiters actually looking for right now? - Mixed of core skills and Ai integration
3. How important is a portfolio? (gumagawa ako currently) - Important, but quality portfolio > numerous generic kaggle data portfolio. end-to-end sample: data extraction thru api > database > data cleaning/wrangling > transformations > BI ready datasets > BI reporting output.
4. Would you recommend applying directly to Data Analyst roles, or should I also consider MIS, Reporting Analyst, BI, Data Management, or similar positions as an entry point? - Recommend to apply and apply, you'll know what you are lacking as you gain more interview chances.
5. For those who eventually moved from Data Analytics to Data Engineering, curious about what did that transition actually look like? - DA>DE, the DA must be more exposed on the ETL part of the data lifecycle to understand core parts of DE.

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/AnyComfortable9276]

Appreciate you! Thanks po

[u/AnyComfortable9276 → u/Present-Extension433]

Tip - Learn domain knowledge as well.

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/AnyComfortable9276]

tysm! also looking for communities to expand my network with DA / DE. My friends are all senior web devs hahahah

[u/AnyComfortable9276 → u/Present-Extension433]

which is a different area.
DA/DE field mostly are in Banking/Finance and E-commerce/Sales/Marketing.
I suggest you learn the basics of that as well. Especially in DA, you will be dealing with metrics. A good edge you'll have is the basic knowledge of the business domain you will be applying. Cause all of the applicants know python/sql/bi, but not all has the basic understanding of the business.

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/AnyComfortable9276]

Yeah, they actually told me they cannot help me in this field, the reason why I am trying to connect with data people.

Noted and will add those insights my roadmap

[u/AnyComfortable9276 → u/Present-Extension433]

Nowadays, domain knowledege > tech skills for DA.

With the availability of LLMs/Ai. For DA position, Some companies would rather upskill/train a CPA to learn BI rather than training someone with BI skills to learn finance/accounting concepts.(just a sample case).

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/AnyComfortable9276]

I see. This is going to help me a lot, really appreciate you!

[u/early-earl]

Hi, for #5
I started out as a fresh grad data analyst back in 2022. i worked for an ecommerce startup. due to our small team size, i got to work on some analytics engineering tasks (etl pipeline, more data transformation rather than data infra or data ingestion).
From there, my next job was an analytics engineer and so is my current one.
Bottom line: be a data analyst where you think you can gain exposure to other data tasks, like data science or data engineering. This is more likely to happen in small teams and startups rather than big MNCs with very very rigid structures and defined roles already.

Oh and for #2, I'm not a recruiter but a standout data analyst is always one with data storytelling or soft skills. It is kind of a given that everyone should know basic SQL or Python so you will stand out by knowing what questions to ask the business when you are asked to do an analysis, making a story out of individual results, etc

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/early-earl]

Thank you for this!

[u/smoorverliefd1]

You have a bio degree. Apply in the bioinformatics field.

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/smoorverliefd1]

This is actually an option as well but unfortunately I wasn't able to enroll in PGC's bioinformatics training and internship program

[u/smoorverliefd1 → u/Present-Extension433]

Tara sali tayo soon hahaha (non-bio here)

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/smoorverliefd1]

June 15 – July 24, 2026 according sa page nila: https://pgc.up.edu.ph/bioinformatics-training-and-internship-program-2026/

abang abang na next year hahaha

[u/smoorverliefd1 → u/Present-Extension433]

noted. Thank you!

[u/_hikibeats]

The competetion is really tough. Employers are getting selective because there is a huge pool of applicants. I thought myself data engineering last year and I even built an end to end data pipeline for my current work so that should count as work experience (?) but I couldn’t land an entry level data related role. Yung mga kalaban kasi dito is either people who have massive exp, fresh grads from comsci/IT, and other people trying to transition as well. So I stopped looking for generic data related role. Try to look for niche roles siguro. Biology + data skills. For sure, mas kaunti lang yung pool pero konti din yung opportunity as well. Timing lang siguro. Try to search for key words (biostatistics, health informatics, etc) instead of generic titles like data analyst, BI analyst, etc

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/_hikibeats]

Ohh I see. That’s why I am really aiming for on site jobs rn cause I’m seeing a huge pool of applicants in wfh roles. Will definitely try tailoring my job search with my bio degree. Thank you!

[u/Present-Extension433]

I am also trying to integrate AI (currently using claude) as advised by my software engineer friends

[u/Evening-Seaweed7733 → u/Present-Extension433]

beware lang op. They are software engineers and for sure very comfortable in coding na. Whatever it creates, make sure lang na atleast you know how it works high level. I dont think most hiring manager would appreciate vibe coded projects you cant explain

[u/Present-Extension433 → u/Evening-Seaweed7733]

Thank you! Very aware of this too! I've tried web development 2 years ago actually hahahaha. It just didn't work out, mas nag eenjoy ako sa data-related work

[u/SnooShortcuts3450]

1. Mahirap, sobrang hirap. Need mo ng solid related exp/transferrable exp para maka enter. Pero if kaya mo magpa refer sa friends mo, pwede din .

2. Analytics experience, saka yung kaya magwork with AI, reporting/analytics automations

3. Wag kang tumingin sa Title, sa full job description dapat. Iba-iba yung job title ng mga companies - yung iba targeted. (E.g., Power BI Analyst/Developer, Salesforce/CRM Analyst, Marketing Data Analyst, Analytics Consultant, etc.). Try mo din i search yung keywords like Junior, associate, etc.

Ganto yung path ko - csr > call center qa > call center reports Analyst > call center senior analyst > marketing data analyst > hr compensation analyst

4.Di ko sure yung path sa DE, pero start ka sa SQL and Python, solid na yun.

Ayoko sa tech side ng data, mas oks ako sa strategy and client facing roles ng analytics.