CEBU CITY, Cebu, May 4 (PIA) -- In recent years, the Philippines' IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector is one of the most productive and employment-generating industries.
The industry greatly contributes to the information and communications technology development and to the digital economy.
The Information Technology and Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) says that the industry saw an increase by 8.4%, or 121,000 full-time employees (FTEs), with 1.57 million total headcount in 2022.
In addition, the sector's revenues increased by 10.3% to $32.5 billion in 2022, exceeding the $29.5 billion it earned in 2021.
Jack Madrid, president and CEO of IBPAP, said during the Cebu Regional Roadshow on May 3 that by 2028, their goal is to employ 2.5 million people and generate US$59 billion in revenues for the country.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has been supporting the sector's growth through various initiatives, including the IT-BPM Scaled Upskilling program, which provides advanced training in priority areas identified by the IT-BPM subsectors.
Director Emmy Lou Delfin of the ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB) of the DICT highlighted DICT’s training and professional development initiatives for the workforce, the local government units, and the countryside, such as the DigitalJobsPH Program which aims to provide basic digital literacy and intermediate ICT skills training particularly in rural areas all over the country.
DICT also aims to increase the Philippines’ stance as the top investment destination for global services in the world.
Through the “Leveraging the IT-BPM Industry and Fostering Local Talents” or LIFT program, the government will promote careers in the industry and showcase Filipino talent with the same objective of creating jobs and sustaining the country’s position as the leading provider of global outsourced services.
The DICT, in collaboration with IBPAP and Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc., has already started the Digital Cities 2025 Program, which aims to expand the IT-BPM sector and bridge industry progress in the countryside to strengthen local economies.
This program highlights the value of countryside development and the capability of key locations outside Metro Manila to become thriving business districts and viable investment hubs for IT-BPM services.
For 2023, the IBPAP forecasts that the IT-BPM industry can generate 1.7 million FTEs and $35.9 billion in revenues. (MYP/PIA7 Cebu with reports from IBPAP)
