Cebu call centers generate billion every month

CEBU CITY – The Information Technology – Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in Cebu continues to grow and bring job and money for the city, according to data released by the Cebu City government.

City consultant on business and economic development, Joel Mari Yu, said the IT-BPM industry generates 19.6 billion in new money every month from direct and indirect employment.

“This is new money from abroad. This is not money that has been circulating in the country,” Yu said during his speech at the opening of the First Transformation Summit held at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel in Cebu City Monday.

Yu said new money from direct employment in the city’s IT-BPM sector is about 17.6 billion per month, while new money from indirect employment is at 12 billion monthly.

The figures are conservative and based on the 1130,000 IT-BPM employees in the city. Yu said the actual number of employees could be 140,000 or more.

For 2019, Yu said the Cebu City government projects the IT-BPM industry to employ 200,000 people and generate new money of 116 billion.

The number of BPO companies in Cebu is also expected to increase from 329 as of end 2016 to 606 in two years. Salaries and wages are projected to reach P8 billion from 13.8 billion, Yu added.

Rental income is forecast to hit 1700 million in 2019 from 1464 million in 2016.

“These are ambitious projections but together we can make things happen,” Yu said.

Despite its growth, the industry still faces issues and challenges. Yu said among the major issues that the city will have to address are traffic, security and safety, housing for workers, and one-stop shop for processing employment papers.