Prof. Macaranas Knows Best

One of the professors at the Asian Institute of Management I look up to (and continue to hold on a high regard) is Prof. Federico "Poch" Macaranas.

He was our professor in Economics and he primarily was known for two things: a) being incredibly smart and b) telling the story of the"Young MBA Graduate". He was recently interviewed by Business World and Prof. Macaranas shared his thoughts on what's happening on the global economic scene. Here's an excerpt of the article in Business World:

PHILIPPINE-BASED firms may run into problems recruiting executives as other Asian economies poised for an earlier recovery may lure away talent, experts said at a conference on Tuesday.

Brain drain may occur if the Philippines’ recovery extends much longer than its neighbors’.
"Unlike other countries that have shown increases [in their leading indicators], the Philippines is delayed in all reactions," Asian Institute of Management professor Federico M. Macaranas said at the second day of the school’s Business Asia Week.

Noting that the next 12 months will see a pick up in hiring in Asia, he said "If we are delayed by three to six months and job prospects pick up elsewhere, the Philippines will have a harder time attracting [recruits]."

While the theme of the article is quite negative, Prof. Macaranas shares a very interesting details: he sees an upswing in hiring in Asia in the next 12 months. And this should be good news.

See, here's the thing, being an incredibly smart person, Prof. Macaranas has an uncanny sense of the what's happening on the economic situation (he wasn't a former presidential economic adviser for nothing) and he once predicted with good accuracy in our class when and what events will happen during the global financial slump. Heck, if predicting the economic recession recession events were like Las Vegas black jack, Prof. Macaranas would be the MIT kid from the movie 21.

So when he tells us that there's going to be more hiring in the next 12 months, MBA's should be optimistic. He knows best when it comes to these things. :)