THE business process outsourcing (BPO) industry cannot delay talent development initiatives if it is to create 1.1 million new jobs by 2028, industry officials said.
“Our goal is not going to be easy and it will necessitate the coordinated efforts of a multi-stakeholder coalition across the next six years,” Jack Madrid, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer, said.
Speaking at the IT-BPM (Information Technology-Business Process Management) Talent Summit on Wednesday, Mr. Madrid added: “This is non-negotiable. We can’t delay any longer on getting a scalable, strategic, and sustainable talent attraction and development program off the ground if we want to see and feel its positive impact on the sector and the competitiveness and employability of Filipinos by 2028.”
In his speech, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said an inter-agency technical working group has been formed to support the implementation of a five-year National Development Program for the IT-BPM industry.
“The signing of the statement of commitment serves as a testament to the Philippine government’s unwavering support and dedication to the growth and expansion of the IT-BPM industry,” Mr. Pascual said.
The statement of commitment’s other signatories were the departments of Education, Information and Communications Technology, Labor and Employment, Science and Technology, as well as the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority.
“Our efforts to increase the industry’s full-time employees to 2.67 million by 2028 must be carefully coordinated and planned,” Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said in a statement of support.
“A multi-stakeholder approach is required to ensure the development of a workforce-ready and globally competitive Filipino talent. With a workforce that possesses the necessary skills and competencies, we will be able to maintain our position as a top global destination for digitally-enabled and customer-centric services,” he added.
Mr. Madrid said the Philippines has secured a place in the IT-BPM industry and needs to work on the “talent crisis” to continue to grow.
“The biggest opportunity really for us to continue to grow and deliver the 1 million jobs is if we can address the talent crisis, and I use the word crisis, because this is really important to drive home the urgency of talent, because, you know, the Philippines is a world capital already in IT-BPM,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
“This talent thing is really going to require the joint efforts of the government who have a hand in the educational reforms that are needed, then, of course, the private sector, because it is the private sector that needs the talent. These are the companies that will give jobs to the Filipinos,” he said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
