MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine outsourcing companies say they are aiming to snag up to 10 percent of the $270 billion global industry by 2016 and are focusing on training more workers to keep up with demand.
The Business Processing Association of the Philippines says the country is now the world's top supplier of call center operators and other voice services. It accounts for up to 7 percent of the overall market that provides banking, transcription, engineering, and other services to overseas clients — a far second to India's 51 percent share.
Association chairman Alfredo Ayala said Tuesday the Philippines hopes to raise the number of workers from the current 600,000 to 1.3 million and to grow revenues from $11 billion this year to $25 billion by 2016.
This year's estimated revenues are up at least 22 percent from 2010.
"We're hoping to get 9 to 10 percent of the offshore market," Ayala told reporters on the sidelines of a BPO conference.
He said the industry is partnering with government to train prospective recruits still in school, providing additional training to those who need it in order to qualify for positions, and tapping older workers and English teachers who would like to shift careers.
Currently, only five to six job applicants are hired for every 100 who apply, underscoring the need for further training.
"The Philippines actually has a very nice problem where anything we produce we can sell," Ayala said. "The problem is we just need to produce more."
This year, the industry hired 80,000 new workers but the aim is to raise that to 130,000 next year and over 230,000 by 2016 to allow for growth, the association said.
