On Quality Jobs

We had a setback yesterday. We finally found an ideal candidate for a data scientist role. She lived in Saudi Arabia with a visa easily convertible into a work permit, had the right seniority and experience, and matched perfectly with our client’s needs. However, at the last minute, something changed, and she resigned. This was disappointing because the client was eager to start working together.

This incident made me reflect. Perhaps I haven’t clearly communicated the mission of bld.ai to potential candidates and others, especially regarding the kinds of jobs we aim to create.

1. Defining “Quality Jobs”

When I say “quality jobs,” I mean roles that sustainably help the economy grow, innovate, and thrive long term. Not all jobs equally support these outcomes. For example, repetitive tasks like data labeling or purely extractive jobs (corruption, extortion) may boost employment briefly but do not usually lead to lasting improvement or innovation.

Similarly, some jobs created by multinational companies temporarily increase local GDP but often aren’t sustainable. Roles established by large oil and gas corporations, for instance, often rely heavily on expatriates and fail to build local skills or long term independence. These roles are helpful briefly but have limited long term impact.

2. Jobs that Provide Lasting Value

In contrast, genuinely quality jobs include those that build important skills, knowledge, and local economic strength. Teachers, effective government officials improving infrastructure and bureaucracy, and roles in technology research significantly benefit communities by developing human capital and creating lasting value.

Positions created by technology companies, such as NVIDIA’s research and development centers, exemplify high quality jobs. These roles don’t just increase GDP; they develop local skills and knowledge that communities benefit from long after initial investments.

3. Entrepreneurship: The Highest Quality Jobs

Entrepreneurship sits at the top of this job quality hierarchy. Entrepreneurs create various high quality positions, including technical leadership and executive roles. These jobs attract global talent, encourage innovation, inspire more entrepreneurship, and build independent local economies.

My commitment to entrepreneurship is personal. In 2012, through the MIT Global Startup Lab, I taught entrepreneurship and technology skills at the University of the Philippines, covering agile methodologies, DevOps, Django, Android development, and business innovation.

Practicing what I teach, I cofounded Southeast Asia’s first Y Combinator startup from the Philippines. This venture created genuinely high quality jobs, attracting local and international talent, fueling further innovation, and fostering economic independence.

4. Progression of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

Within entrepreneurship, there is a clear progression reflecting economic growth. Initially, local entrepreneurs might start agrarian or natural resource based businesses. Over time, these evolve into manufacturing, services, and eventually more advanced sectors like technology and innovation.

Each step significantly enhances local capabilities, economic resilience, and global competitiveness.

5. The Long term Vision for Quality Jobs

My vision at bld.ai is to nurture these types of entrepreneurial, innovative roles globally. I believe these jobs, focused on innovation, education, and skill development, offer the most long term benefit. They empower communities economically and socially, allowing them to build and expand their own economies sustainably.

6. Conclusion: Sustainable Economic Ecosystems

Ultimately, my goal is straightforward. By creating genuinely high quality jobs rooted in innovation, knowledge, and entrepreneurship, we build resilient, diversified, and self sustaining economies globally. This is not only good business but essential for lasting global prosperity.