DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Most, if not all, call centers in Mindanao are looking at 20 to 40 percent shortage in talent, with some 32 out of 42 companies looking to hire more qualified employees.
Due to the shortage, leaders of the Business Processing Management industry submitted a proposal to city mayor Sara Duterte to look for funding trainers to train more Information Technology graduates.
The proposal, called the SWIT 2017 (Skills for Work in IT) by its proponents, is aimed to achieve the demands of the BPM industry.
There are currently 35,000 Dabawenyos employed in the BPM industry, earning a combined P6 billion annually, said Belinda Torres of Jobs E-Solutions Inc.
However, the trend is slowing down as there has been a noticed “shortage of qualified talent.”
“We are coming up with a strategy to invite more and to change the mindset of some traditional players [because] there is really a career in the IT-BPM,” Torres said.
Eric Manalastas of Next BPO Solutions, Inc., said that most IT graduates are one to two years behind in terms of technology. That’s why even if these graduates would be hired, they are required to undergo at least one to two months additional training before they are qualified to work.
Manalastas said there is an urgent need for more skilled workers because there will be no college graduates in 2021 due to the K to 12 program.
The demand for the BPM industry is expected to double in the next five years, according to projections by the Philippine IT BPM 2022 road map.(davaotoday.com)
