Doctor No More Virtual Assistant Now Tops Filipinos’ Dream Jobs
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT – A surprising career shift is taking place in the Philippines as virtual assistant jobs overtake medicine as the country’s most searched dream profession.
Virtual assistant (VA) has emerged as the most searched “dream job” among Filipinos, surpassing the traditionally prestigious profession of medicine, according to a recent study by Remitly.
The research examined Google searches for phrases including “how to be a…” and “how to become a…” across 145 countries. In the Philippines, doctors ranked second, while other highly searched careers included vlogger, lawyer, actor, astronaut, flight attendant, diplomat, content creator and social media manager.
The findings suggest that digital and technology-driven careers are becoming increasingly attractive to Filipinos. However, HR expert and talent consultant Crissy Rollan noted that search behavior does not necessarily mean that people have already decided on a specific profession.
“The biggest thing for me here, when people type on Google the how-to, how to become somebody, it’s not necessarily a definitive route to, ‘I want to be this kind of person,’” Rollan said.
The study reviewed Google searches involving 424 occupations between May 2025 and May 2026. This year’s Philippine results represent a notable change from 2024, when becoming a doctor was the country’s most searched career goal.
Rollan said the inclusion of virtual assistants, vloggers, content creators and social media managers alongside established professions such as doctors and lawyers reflects how employment has transformed in recent years.
“What’s interesting about it is to understand whether kaya ba nagse-search ng mga tao ng gano’n ngayon,” she said.
She explained that Filipinos may now consider employment based not only on personal ambition but also on their circumstances, preferred working arrangements and desired lifestyle.
“I don’t think it is much about whether do you want to be a VA versus a doctor,” Rollan said.
“To me the biggest insight here … is that are people now considering jobs not primarily based on ‘ito yung gusto ko’ or ‘ito yung pangarap ko’ but rather people are now considering the work that they will do that will suffice or supplement and support the way of life that they have pictured for themselves.”
According to Rollan, older generations commonly associated career success with professional credentials, job security and social recognition.
“Anak, kailangan maging professional ka. Kailangan, kumuha ka ng licensure exam kasi yan yung magbibigay sayo ng path para maging professional ka,” she recalled.
Today, technology has broadened the definition of career opportunities, introducing occupations that were not widely recognized by previous generations.
“And now we know,” Rollan said. “You cannot ignore that maybe 3-4 out of the 10 are jobs that we didn’t even know before.”
The global results likewise highlighted the rise of technology-related professions, with prompt engineer, AI specialist and machine learning engineer appearing in the rankings for the first time.
“If you’re in tech, you cannot deny that dati hardware lang, ngayon software na. Ngayon, may AI pa. If hindi ka talaga nage-evolve, mapapag-iwanan ka talaga,” Rollan said.
She also urged employers to study why Filipinos are drawn to VA work and use those insights to improve workplaces.
“What is it about a VA function or a role that makes the Filipinos want to be a VA? And how can we then apply those things?” she said.
“Because that’s data. That’s data for a business owner. That’s data for an HR. You cannot ignore the data.”
Globally, acting overtook pilot as the most searched dream job, while YouTuber topped the rankings in 28 countries.
For Filipinos, the rise of virtual assistance over medicine may reflect changing priorities, with flexibility, lifestyle and evolving work opportunities becoming increasingly important in career choices.
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