Let the Queen Do the Job
Cebu is dubbed as the Queen City of the South, not only for its colorful and grand festivities, but also because of something more.
Located at the southern part of the Philippines, Cebu boasts of its rich culture and history, depicted by its feasts and other celebrations.
For years, Cebu has been held parallel to other major cities within the country in terms of growth in different industries. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, with Cebu City as the main center of commerce, trade, education, and industry in the Visayas area.
About 80% of the country’s domestic shipping is located in Cebu. The island has the most domestic air, shipping, and cargo vessels in the Philippines. Cebu also has a major industrial, commercial, trade, and educational system. Its extensive international port facilities, its accessibility, its hospitality towards other Asians and to the rest of the world have brought about the influx of more than a hundred businesses from multinational companies.
With the vast array of industries already nestled in Cebu, the arrival of the BPO Industry was warmly welcomed by the Cebuanos.
Since the emergence of the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry last 2000, it has climbed its way to the top, according to surveys done by notable firms like Global Solutions and US-based Tholons.
In 2008, Cebu was the 4th placer in a list of the most preferred outsourcing locations worldwide. In 2009, it took the 1st place, ahead of other cities such as Delhi, Dhaka, Mumbai, and Manila. Presently, Cebu is in the 9th spot in the top 10 cities most preferred by BPO companies, according to Tholons.
As of 2011, Cebu City has been housing over 100 BPO companies, and more firms are eyeing to establish their business in the island.The City is deemed to have found its business niche: call centers that comprise a most effective BPO industry in Cebu. Along with the great help they bring to the BPO industry, they also enhanced the city’s earned fame as one of the emerging BPO havens worldwide.
“Given the prevailing consumer demand and its absorptive capacity, Metro Cebu is now the apple of the eye of both regional and national retailers,” according to CBRE (Coldwell Banker Real Estate), a commercial real estate services firm, in a recent market study. CBRE Philippines estimates 49,400 square meters of BPO space to be occupied in the next two years in Cebu IT Park.
Cebu’s high domestic and foreign tourist arrivals, geographic location, accessibility, and natural resources have fueled the development of the city, with an excellent industrial record and now considered the fastest growing economy in the Philippines.
On the other hand, Cebu’s labor force is oriented towards non-agricultural lines and is rated one of the most productive workforce in the country. With a literacy rate of 97%, the city is also known as a capital for quality education. The city is one of the cornerstones of education in the country, alongside Manila, Iloilo, and Davao. It houses 24 colleges and 6 universities offering technical, vocational, master’s and doctoral courses. Many foreign students—mostly Iranians, Koreans, and Nepalese—come to the city to take medical courses and study English as a second language.
Cebu holds a highly skilled professional workforce that can answer to the growing demands of the business world. The improved quality of life (cost of living is around 75 percent lower than the USA) has yielded better-quality workers and low employee turnover.
With a pool of skilled and well-trained Cebuanos, a lot of outsourcing companies in Cebu provide a 24/7, 365 days-a-year service commitment, while working with fast turn-around times and implementations and complying with industry standards on security and quality.
Cebu continues to grow as more foreign investors see the growth of the city, with the BPO industry as one of the leading factors for its development.
The BPO industry of Cebu thrives because Cebuanos exceed the expectations of the investors and clients, doing more than getting the job done.
This article also appears in takingyouforward.com.
About the Author
Jane is a freelance copywriter, with majority of her work focusing on the outsourcing industry.
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