Cebu BPO Reaches Out to Visayas and Mindanao
BPO (business process outsourcing) services may not be enough for the Philippines if it wants to keep up with the momentum of the outsourcing industry. Adapting more KPO (knowledge processes outsourcing) services is greatly recommended so that the country could step up to a higher level in the outsourcing industry.
Cebu is a major player of Philippines’ BPO Industry. The KPO-BPO industry of the Cebu province currently employs an estimated 60,000 to 75,000 people. The Cebu BPO industry aims to hire 100,000 by 2014.
Presently, Cebu relies on applicants within the province to fill the workforce of its outsourcing industry, which has already to started to expand by providing KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) services as well. To step up its game in the outsourcing industry, Cebu has stopped limiting its services to BPO only.
KPO services entail more complex systems, more brain work so to say, such as areas in research and development, marketing, accounting, animation, design concepts, and market research. Metro Cebu is deemed to be wanting in its pool of talents or qualified personnel for KPO business functions, as opposed to BPO jobs.
In an interview, Joel Mari Yu, managing director of CIPC (Cebu Investment Promotions Center), pointed out that what current companies are doing is to go out of Metro Cebu and conduct recruitment in other parts of the Visayas and cities and provinces in Mindanao. This is an initiative to fill both BPO and KPO job vacancies in Metro Cebu.
Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Cagayan de Oro are the initial areas that the CIPC, together with the companies, will be visiting.
“We see no problem with infrastructure in Cebu because it’s already in place. However, if we are to depend only on our own internal population, we are too small. We are insignificant,” Yu admitted.
Also, this is a new way of promoting Cebu to job seekers from far-off places, showing them that Cebu is an ideal location to fulfill a professional life, besides Manila.This move does not mean that Cebuano professionals are incapable of delivering KPO services; rather, it is a means of adding more people to the KPO workforce of Cebu. Also, while searching for more qualified manpower in other parts of the country, Cebu is developing its BPO professionals to handle more KPO functions.
“We should now look outside Cebu for additional manpower if we want to maintain our rank as an emerged destination for outsourcing companies,” encouraged Yu.
According to Tholon’s recent report, Cebu has succeeded in keeping its 9th spot on the list of emerged BPO destinations worldwide. Shanghai, China (10th) follows Cebu.
Yu said that the cities ranked 11th to 15th are within striking distance to dislodge Cebu from its post. These are Krakow in Poland (11th), Beijing in China (12th), Sao Paulo in Brazil (13th), Dalian in China (14th), and Buenos Aires in Argentina (15th).
The KPO sector of Cebu can also use some support from the local government so raise the city's ranking in the list of preferred outsourcing destinations.
About the Author
Publish on 07/19/2012
is a freelance copywriter, with majority of her work focusing on the outsourcing industry.
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I have been studying your blog posts during my break, and I need to admit your complete article has been very useful and very well composed.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good news for the Cebuanos, Thank you for sharing this inspiring post.
ReplyDeleteJacob of BPO Philippines
KPO and BDO are the major economic parameters to measure our cuntry's economic performance but not applicable to some Asian countries or European countries. These are unique dollar-earning potential higher than our exports revenues that are not found commonly elsewhere like Vietnam or Thailand or Cambodia. There's a big possibility we can be one of the emerging countries based on BPO and KPO industries.
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