Domestic demand for engineering products and services, electronics expected to grow

LOCAL DEMAND for electronics as well as for engineering products and services is expected to ride on a projected 9.1% rise in spending on information and communications technology (ICT) next year, experts said at the start of an industry conference yesterday.

Ornan S. Vicente, president and chairman of the board of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines, said in his keynote speech at the start of the three-day International Electronics Conference & Exposition 2010 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City that there would be a gradual increase in demand for such products and services in the Philippines, but did not give definite projections.

“We still have to define the specific figures for the projected increase, with the expected global spending for information and communications technology to surge 8.7%, according to a report by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance,” Mr. Vicente said.

“The report said that much of the growth would be from the Asia-Pacific region, which is expecting a 9.5% growth rate in information and communications technology spending until 2013,” he added.

Mr. Vicente also cited a projection for the Philippines by International Data Corp. that ICT could pick up to 9.1% in 2011 from 7.6% this year.

“The projected increase will result in $3.14 billion in communications and technology spending. Such positive outlook could bolster electronics and engineering industries to continue providing products and services to cater to both the global and local markets,” Mr. Vicente said.

“But to do this, the industry has to strengthen itself by providing the right environment that makes local companies more competitive and more efficient in delivering services.”

Speaking in the same event, Commission on Information Communications Technology Chairman Ivan John E. Uy noted that demand for talent in these fields is “ever growing,” adding that a key challenge would be “to fill up the need for professionals.”

ICT is one of the sectors expected to ride on a normalization of business operations, as economies worldwide recuperate from the slump last year. — AMPD, Businessworld