Temporary staffing seen to rise in Phl

MANILA, Philippines – Looking for a job where you get the rare chance of working with different major industry players? The temporary staffing industry might just be your best bet.

Collabera, a leading provider for information technology solutions and services, said that demand for temporary staffing is expected to increase by 200 percent by the end of 2015.

“Before we moved to the Philippines, we were predominantly focusing on the US market. Then recession happened. Most of our clients started to look outside of the US and a lot of them came to Asia,” began Priyanshu Singh, Collabera Philippines country head. “A lot of our clients wanted us to come to the Philippines because a lot of the big corporations were coming here. We saw an opportunity for the Philippines to become a regional hub in Asia.”

Collabera Philippines said the company is looking to employ 1,000 professionals by end-2014. As a Collabera employee, you get to work with the company’s impressive roster of clients across industries such as banking and financial services, telecommunications and media, technology, energy and utilities, and manufacturing and retail.

The decision to establish an office in the Philippines and introduce the concept of temporary staffing in 2011 proved to be a profitable one for the global company. “From 2012 to 2013, our revenues moved up to P140 million, three times more than what we earned during our first year here,” confirmed Mehul Shah, Collabera managing director. “This year, we’re looking at doubling that figure. So we’re looking into hiring more Filipinos to join us.”

“Many companies have benefitted from staffing companies like Collabera to boost their human resources. Temporary staffing has, in fact, evolved from short-term solutions into programs that are integrated into the company’s workforce,” continued Shah.

“The staffing industry’s unique access to a wide range of workers is one of the essential benefits it offers clients. By working with staffing firms, HR professionals can quickly find individuals with specific skill sets or hard-to-find work experience. These individuals can be brought on board for a brief period or they can be hired permanently.”

According to Singh, there are three major reasons why professionals should consider a career in the temporary staffing industry: exposure, stability, and the chance to upskill oneself.

“You get exposed to different clients because you get to work for different companies and work with them for two to three years. And we’re talking about global and leading companies which have entrusted Collabera with their staffing solutions,” Singh explained. “You start working on a project with a client. When you finish that project, you get to work with other clients automatically so your exposure and experience are a lot. Can you imagine your portfolio with all these clients?”

Shah also addressed concerns if a career in Collabera will give professionals a sense of security. “You have a guarantee of stability because while you’re moving from one client or project to another, your employment is confirmed with Collabera. You are our full-time employee. You have a permanent job but part of your job is you get to work with so many companies.”

Most importantly, a temporary staff gets a chance to make his profile solid by upskilling. Redefining temporary staffing in the Philippines, Collabera introduced the Hire, Train, and Deploy (HTD) program. Under the program, the company trains its employees and equips them with specialized skills that fit the needs of their clients so they are able to find a continuous stream of work in the future.

“Filipinos are very hardworking, sincere and fun-loving,” Singh observed. “So when you mix that fun with hard work and sincerity, these are what will take them ahead because they love fun but they work hard.

That absolute balance is what makes a Filipino professional very attractive to our industry.”

“We are very optimistic about the growth of the temporary staffing industry here in the Philippines. Collabera Philippines is growing rapidly because it is fueled by the talent that we have in the Philippines. It only goes to show how much potential the country has,” furthered Singh. –Jerni May H. Camposano (The Philippine Star)