To combat competition from the Philippines, India proposes BPO roadmap

Lawmakers in India have urged the government to come up with a future roadmap for the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry to ensure that the industry will remain competitive. Noting that the Indian BPO industry faces competition from countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Poland, Mexico, and Brazil, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology said issues like visa restrictions and changes in policy by major markets such as the US and UK are presenting new challenges to the sector. The committee, in its report, also highlighted the need to place more emphasis on skills and training in the country’s BPO sector. India’s outsourcing sector generated over US$30 billion in revenues in 2016-17. The report also pointed out that the current schemes for the BPO sector do not have any provision for support to existing BPOs’ looking to expand.