Cebu BPO manpower headcount up 20-30%

CEBU, Philippines — The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in Cebu registered an estimate of 20 percent to 30 percent manpower headcount growth in the recent months, an industry official reported.

Cebu IT/BPM Organization or CIB.O managing director Wilfredo Sa-a Jr., bared that the number of outsourcing manpower in Cebu increased due to active expansion stance of existing companies as well as the entry of new players.

At least five existing BPO or Business Process Management (BPM) players here recently implemented expansion programs adding more people to their respective operations.

Sykes, the call center pioneer in Cebu, for instance expanded its operations with the opening of new office at the Robinsons Galleria.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City government through the Cebu Economic and Business Unit (C.E.B.U.) targets to bring in at least P20 billion a month worth of direct salaries given to outsourcing employees in the short term.

This is attainable. The total count will continue to register double digit growth, said C.E.B.U. Consultant Joel Mari S. Yu earlier.

With intensive programs and industry collaboration being started  now by the Cebu City government, Yu said reaching 200 thousand people working in the outsourcing sector is not difficult.

At present, the 329 IT-BPO firms operating within the Cebu City jurisdiction, is employing a total of 130,260 people, with accumulated monthly salary of P3.8 billion.

This monthly income of outsourcing workers are spent and circulated in the local economy, which help pump-up the cash flow and boost purchasing power.

Combine industry headcount on the other that include those BPM operating outside Cebu City, outsourcing industry employment already over 150 thousand, Sa-a said.

Based on scientific analysis, for every one direct outsourcing employee, it produces one indirect employee across complementary sectors.