BPO firm prefers STEM workforce

CEBU, Philippines - Outsourcing firm Accenture is pushing for more graduates educated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) as there is a rising demand for technology-driven jobs today.

"Today we primarily recruit STEM graduates and we're definitely pushing for that," Accenture Philippines technology lead Ambe Tierro said in a recent interview.

Although she said that the global outsourcing company is not limiting its hiring to STEM graduates.

"A lot of courses are available online. Technology is an equalizer. If you are highly trainable [and willing to learn], you can get the job," Tierro said.

The so-called new IT (information technology) has introduced disruptive technologies, which has driven the demand for workers specializing in STEM.

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and virtual reality are dependent on people who are STEM-educated.

Tierro said the company is working with several universities in the country to help build its pool of STEM graduates.

STEM graduates usually have career opportunities in engineering, web developing and computer programming, fields which are in-demand in the IT-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry.

Accenture officials believe the Philippines has an advantage when it comes to talent potential.

"We have the talent here," group chief executive for technology services Bhaskar Ghosh said.

The outsourcing firm has been in the Philippines for 31 years, employing over 45,000 workers across 23 facilities in the country, located in the cities of Makati, Mandaluyong, Taguig, Cebu, and San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte.

In particular the company has been in Cebu for 10 years now.

Early this year, it announced it projected to hire 1,000 more employees in Cebu in 2017.

From only 85 workers when it launched its first facility in Cebu way back in 2007, the company now has around 5,000 employees in its operations in Pioneer House, Robinsons Cybergate and in IT Park’s eBloc 2 and eBloc 3.

The IT-BPO sector plays an important role in boosting the country's competitive advantage as the key destination for voice and non-voice services.

The sector has been growing at more than twice the global market growth rate over the past five years.

The IT-BPO sector is the Philippines' second largest source of dollar earnings after remittances or the money earned by Filipinos working overseas.

The industry has grown to be the second largest source of dollar income for the Philippine economy, according to the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).

In 2015, the industry generated 1.2 million direct jobs and US$ 22 billion in revenues.

The IT-BPO sector's economic contribution is seen to further rise as the sector aims to acquire higher value projects such as software development, healthcare information management, creative services and products, and engineering services.

The Department of Trade and Industry had forecast the IT-BPO industry to worth $250 billion by 2022 while the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) targeted countryside employment in this sector to reach 1 million by that year.

DTOI said the total global opportunity in the IT-BPO sector is expected to grow from $166 billion to $250 billion by 2022. (FREEMAN)