IT-BPO industry to hire 120,000 employees

Nurses, animators, and engineers tapped to work for BPO

(Manila, Philippines, March 30, 2012) – The IT-BPO (information technology-business process outsourcing) industry is looking to fill approximately 120,000 jobs this year in a variety of increasingly value-driven segments such as healthcare, engineering, animation, and accounting, according to Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) president and CEO Benedict Hernandez, who made the announcement in a recent BPAP CEO briefing.

The Philippines is the global market leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) voice services. Hernandez said the health information management sector has captured a third of industry share and continues to grow. “Our goal is for the non-voice to grow faster. As such, we are in need of nurses, animators, game developers, accountants, and engineers to fill in the non-voice segment of the industry,” Hernandez said.

BPAP is set to launch an industry visibility campaign in April, according to Hernandez. The campaign, “Work Abroad. Live Here.” is meant to increase awareness of employment opportunities in more than 20 non-voice, complex services sectors in the IT-BPO industry.

The demand for animators and game developers has also increased with the emergence of technological devices that require content and applications. “Fifteen years ago, artists were only seen as hobbyists. Today, they are among the most high-paid people in the animation segment,” said Rowena Bagadion, CEO of Media Farm Global. Bagadion added that the involvement of technical-vocational schools and universities has helped in developing talent for the animation segment.

One challenge though, is the growing number of students and professionals considering working overseas. “A lot of students still want to go abroad to look for better-paying jobs. What BPAP is doing is to make these available jobs known to students. They don’t have to go abroad to find jobs – they just don’t know how to find these jobs,” said Penny Bongato, BPAP executive director for talent development.

For instance, nurses and other medical professionals can build rewarding careers in healthcare information management outsourcing by complementing their expertise with IT and related skills. “There are a lot of opportunities for nurses and doctors in the country as long as they infuse additional skills set,” said Myla Rose Mundo-Reyes, managing director of health care information service outsourcing firm TTSI. Mundo-Reyes is herself a registered nurse.

Over 120 leaders and representatives from the IT-BPO industry, government, and academe participated in the briefing to discuss talent and skills management and measures on improving education and training for students who seek to work for industry-member companies.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is working with BPAP to address talent availability concerns. According to CHED Legal Services Director Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison, the department was given marching orders in November 2010 to undertake measures to address the demand for talent in the IT-BPO industry. Brother Armin Luistro, secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), reiterated that his department will begin implementing its K-12 education initiative this year to better prepare students for college and careers.