IT-BPM industry developing Asia, Australia, UK markets

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

THE information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry said it is receiving growing interest from potential clients in Asia, Australia, and the UK.

Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) President and Chief Executive Officer Jack Madrid said North America remains the primary market for Philippine IT-BPM companies.

“We are seeing increased interest from Asia, Australia, and the UK,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“This is partly due to IBPAP’s efforts in organizing investor missions to these regions,” he added.

From Aug. 24 to 31, IBPAP joined an Australia Roadshow organized by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority to promote the Philippines as an IT-BPM destination.

According to Mr. Madrid, Australian companies such as Telstra, ANZ, QBE, Macquarie, GHD, BHP, and Pepper have successfully set up operations in the Philippines. 

“Key sectors attracting interest include banking, financial services, and telecommunications, where the Philippines’ skilled professionals and capabilities continue to be highly valued,” he added.

In the coming weeks, he said IBPAP will be participating in a mission to Japan, possibly followed by a mission to Europe to invite more global shared services companies to locate their regional back offices in the Philippines.

Despite the growing demand, Mr. Madrid said he is wary of countries that are emerging as competitors in IT-BPM.

“The industry was once dominated by just two countries — India and the Philippines. But now, we’re seeing other markets, like Poland, Egypt, South Africa, and Vietnam, emerging as competitors,” he said.

“Each market has its own unique value proposition, and while we are still one of the leaders, maintaining our position will require us to continually improve our skills and services,” he added.

In particular, Mr. Madrid said that the IBPAP has conveyed to Education Secretary Juan Edgardo M. Angara its wish list for addressing the workforce skills gap.

“We emphasized the need to improve basic education to better prepare talent for our sector,” he said.

“One of the key items we raised was improving the senior high school immersion program, and we’re optimistic that his team is making progress. We hope that Senior High graduates will soon be job-ready for the many companies looking to hire,” he added.

He said IBPAP has submitted proposals for skills training programs in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

“These programs, including project management, data analytics, and AI, are critical to addressing the industry’s skills gap. We’ve submitted 13 to 15 proposals to different regions, and we’re hopeful that these will be rolled out soon,” he added.