"Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry remains the strongest key employment generator in the country, and is seen to be more robust in the next coming years."
Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday said the defeat at the US Senate of US House Resolution 3696, known as the ?United States Call Center Worker and Protection Act? which prohibits American companies from setting up call centers in foreign countries, including the Philippines, is a welcome development that augurs well for the Philippine?s burgeoning business process sector.
?While we have been vigilant and proactive in implementing measures that could mitigate the impact of the legislative proposal had it been pushed into a law, the US Senate decision is very much welcomed news,? Baldoz said, adding:
?This means that more BPO companies can expand their businesses in the Philippines and generate the much needed employment for our local workforce.?
The Republican party-sponsored bill, believed to attract and keep good jobs in the US by rewarding companies who moves its operations back to America, was officially defeated on 19 July by a vote of 56-42. In the US senate, at least 60 votes are required for the bill to be enacted into a law.
US business groups have opposed the measure, arguing that it could have a negative effect on their competitiveness and overall standing in the global trade as it could cost companies a percentage of their profit with the penalties that go with pursuing off-shoring operations.
Baldoz noted that the statement of Benedict Hernandez, President and CEO of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), who said that outsourcing business services to the Philippines helps make American companies more competitive and profitable.
The BPAP official had cited the Dartmouth?s Tuck School of Business economist Matthew Slaughter's study of hiring practices of 2,500 US multinationals, which found that for every job outsourced, nearly two new jobs are created in the US.
The Philippines is considered the top destination for businesses that are looking for call center services.
In 2011, the country?s IT-BPO industry generated more than $11 billion in revenue and employed almost 640,000 Filipinos. The industry roadmap projects that by 2016, it would to grow to $25 billion in annual revenue and employ 1.3 million.
?Indeed, the BPO Industry, as one of the identified key employment generators under the DOLE?s JobsFit study is facing a very bright prospect. This is why we must vigorously pursue the training of more BPO workers to make them more competitive, efficient, and attuned to the demands of the times,? Baldoz said.
Baldoz also observed that knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), which provides diverse options and opportunities for jobseekers, such as nurses, is being touted as the next growth area in the BPO industry.
And there is what industry experts now call ?clinical process outsourcing?, says Baldoz, quoting Ted Merhoff, President of HCCA Health Connections of the United States whose company is soon opening its second office at the Mega World?s Science Hub 2.
Baldoz said workers in KPO or CPO are not common ?headset with microphone? type of agents or workers, but those who process and analyze knowledge, information, and technical data.
Baldoz said the government?s contingency plans laid out before the US bill was defeated, particularly that of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on expanding its training to BPO-related skills, will continuously be undertaken.
The TESDA, according to Baldoz, will also pursue on developing new training programs in merging areas such as finance and accounting, human resources, banking operations, health information management, and information technology outsourcing services.
(www.dole.gov.ph)
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