Employment in BPO industry's voice sector to grow 15% in 2013 — BPAP

The IT-BPO industry’s thriving voice sector will continue to grow apace in 2013, an industry executive said Tuesday. According to Business Processing Association of the Philippines president Benedict Hernandez, employment in the industry’s biggest sector will increase to 567,000 in 2013 from the current 493,000. “The voice industry is one of the most dynamic and progressive sectors today. Its growth in the last six years is at least five times higher than the average employment growth in the country. This means that employment opportunities in the voice industry is more lucrative compared with other industries,” Hernandez said. Contact Center Association of the Philippines executive director Jojo Uligan said that the voice sector is also better paid than other sectors. “An entry-level position that typically requires a fresh college graduate or undergraduate can have a basic monthly salary of about P12,000 to P13,000. This is 38 percent higher than the basic minimum of P9,000,” Uligan said. Hernandez added that the Philippines is currently the number one destination in the world for voice services, and cited a recent study this year by GlobalEnglish Corporation which showed that the Philippines is the world’s best country in business English proficiency, ahead of the United States. BPAP is working with the government to standardize training programs to maintain this ranking. The organization has also forged partnerships with schools to offer students the chance to intern at partner BPO companies.— BM, GMA News