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Top 5 graduate jobs in banking, insurance for Filipino fresh grads

Randolf Santos

Careers Commentator

Can’t find the top graduate employers to start a banking and insurance career? Here’s what our latest study recommends for Filipino fresh grads.

Our research compares the popularity and quality of high-ranking graduate employers. Check out the full methodology.

This guide ranks the best employers in the Philippines for launching a banking and insurance career.

The givens

Most of the top graduate employers offer competitive benefits and compensation. Aside from above-average salaries, some of them also provide:

  • Comprehensive medical coverage
  • Lucrative perks such as retirement plans
  • Opportunities to travel overseas

The good news

If you value health and wellness over financial gain, many of these high-ranking employers offer generous time-off policies. For example:

  • Up to 30 days of annual leave
  • Up to 140 days of paid leave for new parents

Note the numbers, yet trust your gut

Based on percentage points, there’s a slim gap among the best graduate employers in banking and insurance. The median rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars.

While you should note the numbers, trust your gut when comparing reviews. For instance, one graduate employer on our list scores 4.1 stars. However, the company outranked its peers in terms of popularity and quality.

 

1)  Manulife Financial Corporation (Manulife Philippines)

Manulife Philippines started in the Philippines in 1907. It became a subsidiary of Manulife Financial, a Canadian insurance provider, in 1999.

Manulife Philippines helps its parent company by servicing more than 30 million clients worldwide. The local unit employs more than 2,000 employees. These employees have a median tenure of 2 years.

Top 100 ranking

Manulife Philippines ranks 36th on our list of the Top 100 Employers for 2022.

Reviews - overall score of 4.4 out of 5 stars

Manulife Philippines didn’t score below 4.0 stars in six categories. It gets the highest mark for diversity and inclusion (4.6 stars), followed by culture and values (4.5 stars).

The company achieves 4.2 stars for benefits, compensation and career opportunities. Manulife Philippines scores the lowest for work-life balance and senior management (4.0 stars). The rating, however, is the second-highest among the top graduate employers.

Top 3 upsides

  • Comprehensive remuneration (e.g., monthly bonuses and incentives)
  • High workplace morale partly due to friendly colleagues
  • Local and international travel opportunities

The downside

It takes quite a long time to land a promotion at Manulife Philippines. Some employees say they remain in the same role, despite working for more than three years.

Roles

Manulife Philippines often recruits fresh grads with banking and insurance degrees as financial sales associates. See the company’s latest graduate jobs and internships.

2) J.P. Morgan Philippines

J.P. Morgan Philippines is a fully-integrated franchise of JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the world’s oldest financial institutions.

The Philippine unit offers different services, from corporate and investment banking to equity and treasury. J.P. Morgan Philippines employs more than 5,000 employees, many of whom work in Taguig City.

Top 100 ranking

J.P. Morgan Philippines ranks 52nd on our list of the Top 100 Employers for 2022.

Reviews - overall score of 4.5 out of 5 stars

In terms of overall scores, J.P. Morgan Philippines outranks the four other top graduate employers. The company scores the highest for its working environment (4.4 stars).

It gets 4.3 stars for benefits and compensation and 4.1 stars for career development. Employees rate their management and work-life balance with 3.9 stars. Many of them describe stress levels from working at J.P. Morgan Philippines as average.

Top 3 upsides

  • Competitive remuneration (e.g., 14th-month pay, 30 days annual leave, retirement plan)
  • Learning opportunities in a world-renowned financial institution
  • Pro-employee in terms of career development

The downside

Many entry-level employees work in shifting schedules, including graveyard shifts.

Roles

J.P. Morgan Philippines recruits fresh grads with banking and insurance degrees for its Asia Analyst Development Program. The nine-week initiative aims to develop the firm’s future leaders in Southeast Asia.

Other entry-level roles include loan servicing specialists. View the latest graduate jobs and internships.

3) AXA Philippines

AXA Philippines is a financial services company that started in 1999. It caters to more than 2 million individual clients, making it one of the country’s biggest insurance providers.

As part of the AXA Group, the company is also a pioneer of bancassurance operations in the Philippines. More than 5,000 employees work in over 40 locations. These employees have a median tenure of 4.5 years.

Top 100 ranking

AXA Philippines ranks 66th on our list of the Top 100 Employers.

Reviews - overall score of 4.1 out of 5 stars

AXA Philippines scores the highest for career opportunities (3.8 stars). The company gets 3.7 stars for benefits and compensation, and diversity and inclusion.

Employees rate their work-life balance with 3.6 stars, indicating mixed feedback. AXA Philippines’s culture and values get 3.5 stars, while it scores the lowest for senior management (3.3 stars).

Top 3 upsides

  • Above-average salaries for entry-level jobs
  • Comprehensive medical coverage (e.g., up to Php 1 million maximum benefit limit)
  • Up to 140 days of paid leave for new parents

The downside

Be ready for a challenging work environment. AXA Philippines expects employees such as financial specialists to meet monthly quotas.

Day-in-the-life story

Angela Gomez, a Training Officer at AXA Distribution, is no stranger to volunteerism. She was involved in outreach activities as early as a seventh-grader when she joined an Opus Dei advocacy that helps kids in rural areas.

Read full story

Roles

Fresh banking and insurance grads can take AXA Philippines’ profiling test to choose the right career path. Browse the company’s latest graduate jobs and internships.

 

4) Sun Life Philippines

Sun Life Philippines claims to be the first and oldest life insurance company in the Philippines. The company started even before the country’s independence in 1898.

Since then, Sun Life Philippines has become one of the dominant names in the insurance industry. It became the top life insurer in the country based on its premium income in 2019. Over 1,000 employees work at the company’s offices in over 70 locations nationwide.

Top 100 ranking

Sun Life Philippines ranks 83rd on our list of the Top 100 Employers for 2022.

Reviews - overall score of 4.3 out of 5 stars

Sun Life Philippines outperforms the four other top graduate employers in six categories. It scores 4.6 stars for diversity and inclusion and 4.4 stars for remuneration, culture and values.

Employees rate the company’s career opportunities, senior management and work-life balance with 4.1 stars.

Top 3 upsides

  • Financial incentives (e.g., 14th-month pay, annual bonuses)
  • Flexible and/or hybrid work schedule for certain roles
  • Multiple career pathway choices for tenured employees

The downside

Sun Life Philippines appears to advertise few corporate entry-level opportunities for inexperienced people.

Roles

Fresh grads with banking and insurance degrees can join Sun Life Philippines as analysts. The company has an apprenticeship program for operations and sales. Browse latest graduate jobs and internships.

 

5) ING Business Shared Services (IBSS)

IBSS started in 2013 as a banking shared services unit of ING Group, a Dutch financial institution. The unit provides global support in different areas, including financial markets and lending services.

IBSS employs more than 1,100 people, many of whom work in Taguig City. These employees have a median tenure of 1.6 years.

Top 100 ranking

IBSS ranks 95th on our list of the Top 100 Employers for 2022.

Reviews - overall score of 4.2 out of 5 stars

IBSS scores the highest for diversity and inclusion (4.6 stars). The company gets 4.3 stars for culture and values and 4.2 stars for benefits and compensation.

Employees rate their work-life balance with 4.0 stars, indicating average stress levels. IBSS scores the lowest for career opportunities (3.9 stars) and senior management (3.6 stars).

Top 3 upsides

      Comprehensive benefits (e.g., 14th-month pay, retirement plan)

      Flexible working hours and manageable stress levels

      Opportunities to learn more about European banking services

The downside

In exchange for a competitive remuneration package, newly hired employees may feel pressure to perform well immediately.

Roles

IBSS may recruit fresh grads with banking and insurance degrees as financial analysts. View the company’s latest graduate jobs and internships.