PasaJob, one of the Philippines’ leading job platforms, has appointed seasoned HR tech entrepreneur Eddie Ybañez as its new CEO. With 2.3 million users on its GCash-integrated GJobs mini-program, this strategic leadership move aims to accelerate growth, bridge the employment gap, and empower more Filipino job seekers in 2025.
Strengthening Leadership for a Rapidly Expanding Platform
Since its founding in 2020, PasaJob has established itself as a premier job platform under the leadership of Founder and CEO Kristen Mariano. To further strengthen its leadership team, the company has brought in serial entrepreneur Eddie Ybañez as CEO, while Mariano transitions to the role of Chief Operating Officer and Chairman of the Board.
The timing of Ybañez’s appointment aligns with PasaJob’s rapid expansion. In September 2023, the company launched GJobs in partnership with GCash, supporting the fintech giant’s “finance for all” mission. GJobs offers a seamless mobile job application process, allowing users to apply directly from their smartphones. It also stands out as the Philippines’ first job platform to integrate referral-based hiring, enabling users to earn by referring job opportunities to their peers.
Exponential Growth and New Opportunities Ahead
In just 17 months, GJobs has amassed 2.3 million users, who have applied for 400,000 jobs and made 1 million referrals. With Ybañez at the helm, PasaJob is poised for its next phase of expansion—onboarding more employers, posting thousands of new jobs, and helping more Filipinos secure meaningful employment.
A Vision for a Smarter, More Efficient Talent Marketplace
Ybañez is no stranger to HR technology. As the co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Payruler, a human resource management and payroll system, he has a deep understanding of leveraging technology to optimize talent acquisition.
With his expertise, Ybañez is spearheading enhancements to GJobs that will revolutionize the hiring process. Key innovations in the product roadmap include:
- AI-powered candidate search: Employers will soon be able to find the best candidates based on specific hiring criteria.
- Automated talent matching: The platform will proactively identify and surface qualified candidates who haven’t yet applied.
- Asynchronous interviews: Job seekers will have the option to conduct recorded interviews, improving hiring efficiency for employers.
“The talent marketplace today is fragmented and inefficient. Job seekers struggle to find the right opportunities, while employers face challenges in sourcing the best talent. By leveraging AI and referral networks, we can streamline hiring and create an efficient, connected job market,” said Ybañez.
Unlocking the Power of Referrals
Referrals remain a core focus for PasaJob. Research shows that referral-based hiring reduces the average hiring period from 42 days to just 29, with referred employees having a 70% longer tenure than their counterparts. In high-volume industries such as BPOs, referrals account for 55% of all hires.
PasaJob’s referral-centric model is particularly beneficial for industries with large-scale hiring needs, such as business process outsourcing (BPO) and manpower agencies. Ybañez emphasized the platform’s commitment to serving enterprise partners that require efficient and scalable hiring solutions.
“We are eager to collaborate with companies in fast-growing industries that need to hire at scale. With our referral-driven platform, these organizations can quickly find quality talent, ensuring better cultural fit and long-term impact,” he added.
With Ybañez’s leadership, PasaJob is set to redefine job matching in the Philippines, making hiring faster, smarter, and more effective for both job seekers and employers.
