A new collaborative study by Vero Advocacy and Kadence International shows that more than four in five Filipino youth have a positive outlook for the next five years. But, this is driven by a call for urgent reforms in employment, education and healthcare.

The study surveyed over 2,700 Gen Z and Millennials across six Southeast Asian countries, including 453 respondents from the Philippines.

Results show that 43 percent of Gen Z Filipinos expect a “much better future” and 42 percent anticipate a “better” life in the next five years — only slightly higher than the combined optimism rate of Millennial Filipinos which stands at 84 percent.

Overall, Filipino youth are more optimistic than their peers in Singapore (69 percent) and Malaysia (77 percent), with similar levels of hope for the future as young people in Indonesia (89 percent), Vietnam (89 percent), and Thailand (87 percent).

Both Gen Zs and Millennials in the Philippines, however, identified employment opportunities, quality education, and accessible healthcare as their top challenges. Other concerns include environmental protection, affordable housing, and effective taxation and resource management

Many young Filipinos feel uncertain about their professional futures, with 35 percent of Gen Z and Millennial respondents expressing dissatisfaction over job security. Indeed, Filipino youth were the least satisfied with job security among the six countries surveyed, with a 29 percent satisfaction rate that lags far behind the second lowest satisfaction rate of 43 percent for Malaysia.

Meanwhile, 31 percent of Gen Z Filipinos and 36 percent of Millennial Filipinos ranked employment opportunities as the top challenge they face, with most citing a lack of jobs as a key issue.

As with job security, Filipinos are the least satisfied with the cost of education in the region, with a satisfaction rate of 43 percent for Gen Z and 38 percent for Millennials.

Most respondents cited high costs as the main impediment to accessing quality education in the country, as families must contend with not just tuition, but also other school-related expenses like books, notebooks, uniforms, daily allowance, and special projects, school year after school year. The high cost of education is one of the main reasons why many young people forego secondary and tertiary education in the country, which further limits employment opportunities.

Aside from cost, 31 percent of Gen Z and 30 percent of Millennial Filipinos cite the quality of education as the top challenge faced by the country. Many believe that the government should prioritize investments in educational facilities and technology, as well as enhanced professional development for educators. 

Gen Z Filipinos were more likely to indicate more support for students with special needs as something they would like to see in the future, while Millennial Filipinos raised the importance of regular review of and updates to school curricula to better prepare students for the future.

Similar to employment opportunities and education costs, Philippine satisfaction rates for healthcare are the lowest in the regional survey, with only 36 percent of Filipino youth (39 percent of Gen Z and 34 percent of Millennials) saying they are satisfied with the current healthcare system in the country. 50 percent indicate that the high costs of healthcare services and treatments are a major challenge to accessing healthcare, while 25 percent point to the limited availability of facilities and equipment.

“With Gen Z and Millennials comprising over half of the Philippine population, it is critical for leaders and changemakers to listen to their needs. Many of us often hear and repeat Dr. Jose Rizal’s statement about youth being the hope of the motherland. But while it is true that young people are eager to effect change, it is just as important for us to listen to them and empower them with the tools they need to succeed and build a future that is sustainable for all,” Gio Tingson, Youth Advocate and former Chairperson of the National Youth Commission, said in a statement.