subject: Generating and Improving Employability in Business Processing Industry [print this page] Workers will be laid off because of the result of internationally aligned companies and factories here in the Philippines due to the alarming economic disaster. This is the question that has been in the minds of most people nowadays. Knowing that a huge population of the graduating students are in the field of IT, it seems that there will be another group of overqualified graduates who will be engaged in call center. So at present, the BPO industry is a sure alternative for employment opportunity for the newly grads. The BPO in Makati really need to bulk up hundreds of seats just to fill up the space left by the company as it let go of the same number of workers in its US operations. Since we have a low-cost labor here, most BPO firms have decided to hire a cheaper workforce than losing a business. It's depressing that we're losing jobs, not just here in our country and we know it also happens worldwide. But due to the strength of the BPO industry, it is not a lost for our employees and graduates.
While India continues to be one of the favored global outsourcing centers, it is interesting to note that most of the new employment opportunities in BPO industry worldwide were created in the Philippines during the last month. This has, in effect, made the Philippines the fasted emerging BPO service hub globally. Industry expert says that altogether there 25,700 new job opportunities were created in the business process outsourcing sector in the Philippines. Among these new jobs, as many as 72 per cent were based in the Philippines, he added. This all new job opportunities were generated for the voice services, a number of new call center employments were opened due to the development activities undertaken by a number of firms in this sector. In fact, he said that the statistics were collected from 40 leading companies in the BPO sector that had created anything between 1,000 and 3,000 job opportunities during the last month.
It may be noted that the BPO industry in the Philippines had created as many as 70,000 new employment opportunities during 2009, with the contact center sector having the maximum number of employees 280,000 agents. Despite, the worldwide economic slump, the BPO industry in this far eastern nation was successful in spawning revenues to the tune of $7.2 billion during the last fiscal denoting an increase of 19 per cent in comparison to the $6.06 billion generated in revenues during 2008. In fact, as many as 442,000 people were employed by the entire BPO service sector in the country during 2009. This was despite the fact that the growth during 2009 was sluggish compared to 2008, during which the industry witnesses 24 per cent overall growth.
The rate of call center agents that are being hired isn't enough in the large demand of agents in different call centers. Furthermore, there is an estimated 20,000 new jobs per month and on 2010 it will contribute $13 Billion to the economy. However, there are few qualified job applicants. There is only 4% of applicants are hired of call centers. 40,000 fresh college graduates have sub-standard English skills, because of this; Agents' competence must be enhanced to meet the higher demand for new employees of call centers.
There are three strategies for this shortfall: First, industry lead standards are being developed and shared. TESDA and CHED have signed the memorandum of agreement for a good curriculum about call center in all pilot schools. Second, government is supporting training for new-hires. P350 million worth of scholarship grants have been given by TESDA for the training of would be-agents. Lastly, partnerships between academe and companies are being formed. This strategy must helped schools to modernize the curriculum based on the needs of call center development. Also, on-the-job training is relevant in this strategy. Indeed, the three strategies must be done successfully and effectively to sustain the needs of call center on having enough employees.
Generating and Improving Employability in Business Processing Industry
By: Ervin Kleitz Gonzales
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