Cebu targets P20B worth of BPO wages per month
The Cebu City government, through the Cebu Economic and Business Unit (C.E.B.U.), targets to bring in at least P20 billion worth of direct salaries per month given to outsourcing employees in the next two years.
This is if it will hit its target of doubling the number of ITBPM companies operating within Cebu City, said C.E.B.U. Consultant Joel Mari S. Yu.
With intensive programs and industry collaboration being started now by the Cebu City government, Yu said reaching 200 thousand people working in the outsourcing sector is not difficult.
At present, the 329 IT-BPO firms operating within the Cebu City jurisdiction, is employing a total of 130,260 people, with accumulated monthly salary of P3.8 billion.
This monthly income of outsourcing workers are spent and circulated in the local economy, which help pump-up the cash flow and boost purchasing power.
According to Yu, aside from Cebu's bragging right as Tholons’ number seven top outsourcing destination in the world, Cebu City is also doing serious and strategic programs to realize this target.
Yu added that Cebu City has the most comprehensive talent development programs such as the launching of the Learning English Application for Pinoys (LEAP) among 27 Senior High Schools in Cebu City under the City School Board, DepEd, DICT and CIB.O; Partnership of Apas National High School with Convergys to provide contact center training for students who passed LEAP; One Classroom, One Contact Center, One Barangay program; Information caravan in the barangays.
SMP Plus Training for Teachers – an academe-industry forum to improve the quality of graduates; funding from CHED in partnership with IBPAP/Asia Pacific College/NICP and CEDFIT; and The City of Cebu provided funding or P750,000 for this 2017 IT Transformation Summit.
Likewise, the concerns on transportation, security and safety, affordable and accessible housing and one-stop-shop documentation center for BPO applicants are now being addressed.
Yu, who was the managing director of defunct Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC), explained that the Cebu City government is focusing or prioritizing in inviting more outsourcing locators because what these companies are bringing here is fresh or new money from outside, being poured to the economy every month.
Based on scientific analysis, for every one direct outsourcing employee, it produces one indirect employee across complementary sectors.
This means that total monthly salaries given to both direct and indirect workers reach to P9.6 billion based on the 130,260 number of direct workers.