BPO employment opportunities still robust

MANILA, Philippines — Ninety-eight percent of applicants registered in the country’s online job matching system, the Phil-JobNet, prefer local jobs even as employment opportunities in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector continue to remain robust.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said opportunities in the BPO sector, particularly for call center service workers, rose consistently from the first to the third quarters of 2011, sustaining their number one position among all other Phil-JobNet vacancies and affirming the Philippines’ status as the BPO hub of the world.

The Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) report showed that BPO job vacancies reached 11,237 in the first quarter; 13,454 in the second quarter; and 15,130 in the third quarter of 2011.

“BPO companies continue to expand their business operations in the Philippines. On the demand side, from the year 2010 to the past three quarters of 2011, call center service workers hold the number one position in the vacancy list,” said Criselda Sy, BLE director.

To further boost employment in the BPO sector, Sec. Baldoz noted that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is expanding to key cities of the country the further development of skilled workers capable of filling the in-demand opportunities in the BPO sector.

Baldoz said the government had already released a P1.1-billion disbursement acceleration fund to TESDA that would be used to develop qualified skilled labor in the five priority sectors. Of the amount, P500 million is earmarked for the development of “near-hires” in the BPO sector.

In the third quarter of 2011, the BLE reported that customer service assistant held the number two slot in the Phil-JobNet, followed by domestic workers, carpenters, and drivers.

On the supply side, the position of production worker topped the list of positions sought by Phil-JobNet registrants in the third quarter, followed by nurses, service crew, sales clerks, and cashiers.

Baldoz said that these jobs posted by local employers complement the employment strength of the BPO sector and increase the potential for matching appropriately skilled Filipino labor for other industries.

The Phil-JobNet, the official job portal of the government in the Internet, fits the aim of President Benigno S. Aquino III, in his 22-point policy platform on labor and employment, to” make us more competitive and employable while promoting industrial peace based on social justice and address the labor mismatch problem by promoting better coordination between employers, academia, and government, through strengthening both public and private sector labor market information and exchange.”

The DoLE encourages job seekers, including fresh graduates entering the country’s labor force for the first time, to consider meticulously the career paths they would prefer to pursue.

“Students and skill trainees ought to meticulously study and consider in-demand but not oversubscribed courses, and to opt for skills training, upgrading, or retooling that would boost their competitiveness and employability,” Baldoz said.

“Our labor market information system, including the Phil-JobNet, is there to provide data that would assist them in making informed, confident decisions to build a productive future,” she added. –EDU LOPEZ, Manila Bulletin