The Diffusion of the Interest in the Academic Disciplines as Predictor for the Philippine Industries

Abstract

The pressing problem of unemployment and underemployment in the Philippines is viewed to be a product of job mismatch which in turn is a result of the diffusion of the interest in academic disciplines in the country. This interest has become the input to the work force of the Philippine industries. The highly diffusive academic disciplines were identified using time series data from 2008 to 2017 enrollment in eighteen tertiary academic disciplines. The spreading of these academic disciplines was then calculated using the Bass diffusion model. The findings showed that the spread of interest in academic disciplines has the characteristic of the Bass diffusion model. Only four among the top ten highly diffusive academic disciplines matched the current industry demands for jobs, an indication of a job mismatch. The contention of the study is that, as long as the selection of students in a tertiary academic discipline continues to be determined through the Bass diffusion model coupled with unmeaningful government policies in education, the country will always lag in its industrial development.