Asian BPO markets to neutralize US move vs. outsourcing – ILO

Other opportunities in Asia await Filipino business process outsourcing (BPO) workers in case the US Congress passes a bill that keeps American companies from farming out non-core operations overseas, the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Philippine director said Thursday.

ILO’s Lawrence Jeff Johnson noted an increasing number of Philippine-based BPO companies now servicing Asia.

“The Philippines is in a unique position with its widely educated labor force that continues to grow. I don’t believe that US is the only BPO market,” Johnson told reporters at the launch of ILO-Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Knowledge Center and the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila.

Instead, the Philippine government should use the US legislative measure to refocus on generating jobs for highly skilled Filipino workers — in contact centers — that may be initially displaced, according to ILO official.

Filipino workers have wider job opportunities because of their sound education and skills in spoken English, Johnson said, echoing the praises attached to agents working for Philippine-based BPO companies.

The US legislative measure is a mere adjunct to addressing America’s financial and economic problems. Johnson said

US House Bill 3596 or the “Call Centers and Consumers Protection Bill” encourages American companies to farm out their non-core business within the US — a practice known as insourcing — and penalizes those giving jobs overseas.
In an interview Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino III said he believes that President Barack Obama is supporting HB 3596 in relation to the upcoming US presidential elections. “We have to take into account that this is election year, perhaps those are election-related statements,” Aquino noted.

On the ILO-DOLE knowledge center, Johnson explained it was designed to fill in the knowledge gap of Filipinos on labor issues, considering that ILO has a wide range of statistics, research materials, operational and policy tools, market information and analysis.

“We are willing and eager to reach out to our constituents, the government through DOLE, employers and workers’ organizations as well as to students and faculty in the academia,” said Johnson.

Around the world are students “who do not have a clear understanding of the most basic concepts, definitions and policies to help recognize and address challenges in the world of work,” he added. — VS, GMA News