The Professional and Economic Impacts of Contact Centers in the Philippines

As of December 2010, the call center industry employs 350,000 Filipinos. The rapid growth of the industry between 2004 and 2005 has increased the country’s GDP by 12%. Between 2000 and 2005, the revenue of contact center industry has consistently increased annually by 21%. 

The number of Filipinos working in the industry is consistently growing by this time there is already a party list specifically instituted for contact center agents. As the contact center industry is relatively new to the country, specific studies on the impacts of call centers in the Philippines are limited. Yet these statistics and the changes the industry has caused around us are tell-tale signs of how it has impacted our country.

With the number of graduates thickly focused on nursing, information technology, and education, it is not possible for all them to land jobs in their target profession. Around 67% of Filipino graduates each year possess the skills necessary to land a position in a contact center, and it is very likely that they will do so if they do not find employment in their field.

Career Trends
As the traditional industries of the Philippines fail to catch up with the growth of our graduate population, it is likely that many more graduates in the coming years will resort to contact center and other business process outsourcing jobs. Being a country dominated by Western culture, the Philippines possess human resources that meet the communication requirement of this industry in different levels. Filipinos are fluent, aware of the sensibilities of people from the West, and inherently patient. As Filipinos maintain the high level of customer satisfaction rate, it is very likely that the call center sector will grow. Even more likely that more Filipinos will seek out a career in that sector, with the improving human resources management by CC companies and the decreasing employment chances in traditional industries.

Government Supports
The deliberate efforts of the government to expand the contact center will also increase the number of graduates and currently employed professionals to join the industry. During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Board of Investments has successfully persuaded six American corporations to establish contact centers in the country. While they are yet to be disclosed, it is estimated that these companies will open up 10,000 jobs.

Salaries in Call Centers
Previously, many graduates start at minimum or just above minimum wage. But the increase of call centers has boosted the spending capacity of the younger population. Being energetic and possessing ample resources, the younger population has made the retail industry livelier than ever, particularly the fashion, food, and tech and gadget industries. Local tourism has also been bolstered by contact center agents, as this young generation of professionals seeks out tourist destinations to relieve themselves of work-related stress.

Employment Exodus
New graduates are not the only ones benefiting from the size of the Philippines’ contact center industry. Even professionals with stable but lower paying jobs have been encouraged to transfer to Call Centers outsourcing companies with its competitive compensations. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has also seen the promise of working in contact centers, which prompted it to train overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have lost their jobs for call center jobs. The training is also intended to encourage OFWs to change jobs and work locally where they can be together with their family while earning at a good rate.