Outsourcing industry hopes to tap more engineering and architectural talents

By Ronron
January 15, 2008

The Philippine outsourcing industry is looking at exploring engineering and architectural talents in the country as it seeks to expand the industry in the coming years.

Oscar Sañez, Chief Executive Officer of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, told the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) in a forum at Makati City in Tuesday morning that the engineering and architectural services are just among those that have to be tapped in the industry.

Sañez said that of the close to 320,000 employees in the Business Processing Outsourcing industry in 2007, engineering and architectural talents only account for less than five percent.

The bulk, he said, consists of call center agents.

“By 2010, these sectors should account for more than five percent already of our targeted 920,000 employees in the industry,” Sañez said.

Year 2007 brought $5 billion revenue for the industry, accounting for six percent share of the global outsourcing industry.

If they meet their 2010 target, Sañez said the industry should bring $13 billion revenue in the country, comprising 10 percent of the global revenue.

“This is a fast growing industry. And we still have lots of sectors in the BPO that have yet to be tapped. The new players are actually discovering new services that we can offer like architectural drafting and designs, engineering or computer-aided designs,” Sañez said.

Jose Isidro Camacho, managing director of Singapore-based Credit Suisse and former Finance Secretary, said in the same forum that the BPO is among the industry that has bright prospects for 2008.

This is based on the fact that the country is rich in human resources, equipped with the natural character of being hospitable and have good basic English./DMS