Cebu operates as a secondary hub with distinct hiring dynamics. The city anchors business process outsourcing (BPO), tech support, and customer service roles—sectors that have shaped labor supply and candidate expectations. Cost of living runs lower than Metro Manila, which compresses salary bands and extends candidate tenure. Time-to-hire in Cebu averages 3–4 weeks for mid-level roles, longer than Manila but faster than provincial alternatives. Talent flows in from surrounding Visayas regions and from overseas Filipino workers returning home. Raffi, an agentic AI recruiter, streamlines this process by automating first-pass interviews for candidates who apply to your jobs. When you post a role—whether BPO, tech, or operations—Raffi conducts structured, recorded interviews with every applicant, surfaces top performers, and integrates findings into Workable so your team reviews only qualified candidates. This cuts your screening workload and accelerates time-to-hire in a market where speed matters. Setup takes hours, not weeks. Connect your Workable account, define role requirements, and let Raffi handle candidate interviews while you focus on final decisions.
<60 sec
Application to first contact
10-15 min
Per applicant interview
$0
Hire fees, ever
Raffi calls every applicant for a 10-15 min structured interview. Not just the top 5 résumés — every one. Result: nobody good slips through.
Conversational AI interview, rubric-anchored scoring, transcripts you can read. You get a top 3-5 shortlist while competitors are still scheduling first-rounds.
SaaS pricing from $199/mo. No 15-25% of first-year salary, no per-hire kickback. Cancel anytime.
Cebu's hiring market in 2026 remains anchored in BPO and contact center roles, with steady demand for English-proficient customer service and technical support staff. Growth is measured rather than explosive; candidate supply keeps pace with job openings. Tech roles—backend developers, QA engineers, IT support—show modest uptick as companies expand nearshore operations. Finance and accounting positions remain active, fed by returning professionals and upskilling initiatives. Salary expectations have risen slightly year-over-year, reflecting rising living costs and competition with remote-first employers. Time-to-hire holds steady at 3–4 weeks for operational roles, though specialized technical positions can stretch longer. Candidate engagement quality varies; many applicants apply to multiple roles simultaneously, requiring faster filtering to secure commitments.
Hiring in Cebu demands fluent English across customer-facing and technical roles—a baseline that narrows but stabilizes the talent pool. Remote work norms are shifting; BPO employers still favor on-site or hybrid models in IT parks like the Cebu Business Park, though tech companies increasingly offer full remote. Salary expectations are lower than Manila by 15–25% for equivalent roles, but candidates expect role clarity and growth pathways. Top sectors—BPO, IT services, finance, and retail—are known quantities with predictable candidate profiles. Traffic and commute variability (Cebu lacks a unified transit system) make hybrid scheduling a retention factor. Candidate quality often correlates with proximity to IT parks; sourcing from Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu nearby expands reach without extending commute significantly.
Yes. Raffi operates in 30+ languages and supports candidate calls in any timezone via self-booking — there's no per-city integration. If you can post a role from Cebu, you can run Raffi from Cebu.
Raffi is calibrated against the major AI-in-hiring frameworks (EU AI Act + NYC Local Law 144) and discloses AI use to every candidate before the call. For Cebu-specific work permits and right-to-work checks, those happen outside Raffi — we screen, you verify eligibility before extending an offer.
Customer service representatives, technical support specialists, and quality assurance engineers dominate openings. Finance and accounting roles, along with backend developers, also see consistent demand. English proficiency and relevant certifications are near-universal requirements.
Entry-level and mid-level roles in Cebu typically command 15–25% less than Manila equivalents, reflecting lower cost of living. Senior and specialized roles narrow the gap. Candidates in Cebu generally expect benefits aligned with BPO and IT sector standards: health coverage, bonuses, and clear promotion criteria.
Most BPO and IT companies cluster in Cebu Business Park, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu. Candidates prefer on-site or hybrid roles within 30–45 minutes' commute. Remote work is growing but still less common than on-site in operational roles. Traffic congestion means flexible start times improve retention.
Agentic recruiting is recruiting done by an AI agent that takes action on your behalf — not a chatbot or résumé summarizer. Raffi calls every applicant for a structured 10-15 minute interview, scores them against your rubric, and hands you a ranked top 3-5. The work happens autonomously.
Most agencies charge 15-25% of first-year salary as a placement fee — a $90k hire runs $13-22k. Raffi is SaaS at $199-599/mo plus per-action credits, typically landing under $10k/year for a team hiring 12 people. Same shortlist quality, no placement contract.
About 25 minutes to onboard, post your first role, and have Raffi ready to interview applicants. No engineering work, no integration project. Connect your work email, paste a JD, you're live.
Free $25 starter credit. No credit card. Screening live by tonight.