Filipino talent drives Philippines’ IT-BPM edge, says BPO firm

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippines’ greatest strength in the global information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry remains its people, a workforce that combines skill, resilience, and cultural adaptability, TaskUs said in a report from the BusinessWorld. 

Workforce quality drives Philippines’ global edge

TaskUs executives underscored that the country’s competitive advantage in outsourcing is rooted in the quality of its human capital, not merely in cost efficiency. 

“The Philippines has always been special, but what makes it attractive is the talent that the Philippines possesses… it’s the employee, the makeup of the employee,” said Dean Van Ormer, TaskUs Senior Vice President for Southeast Asia, in an interview with BusinessWorld.

Van Ormer cited the Filipino workforce’s English proficiency, work ethic, intelligence, and strong affinity to Western culture as defining traits that continue to attract multinational clients.

“Obviously, the literacy rate in English is part of it, but I would also say it is the work ethic, intelligence, resiliency, education, and affinity to Western culture,” he said.

He added that maintaining a strong employer brand is central to the company’s strategy in the Philippines. 

“We look at where we set up our buildings, how we go out and advertise, and what people think about us in the industry. It’s always a focus of ours just having an incredibly strong reputation as an employer,” Van Ormer said.

AI as a tool for empowerment, not replacement

While artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the outsourcing landscape, TaskUs sees it as a means of empowering its employees rather than replacing them. 

“We are utilizing it. We are looking at how AI makes you better to the clients that you are supporting through faster tools, better knowledge bases, and better efficiencies,” Van Ormer explained.

Al Sese, TaskUs vice president of operations, added that AI-driven systems enhance both employee performance and leadership efficiency. 

“From a leadership standpoint, our tools are integrated towards AI, so that makes us more efficient because it frees us from all of these other things that we need to spend time on to make the right decisions,” Sese said.

Earlier this month, TaskUs opened its 11th Philippine site, the Hiraya site in Las Piñas City, which will employ 1,500 new workers by year’s end. The Philippines remains TaskUs’s largest base, with over 35,000 teammates nationwide.

TaskUs faces corporate challenges amid growth

Despite its steady expansion in the Philippines, TaskUs has faced corporate headwinds abroad. 

The company recently scrapped its plan to go private after shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a buyout proposal by its co-founders and a Blackstone affiliate. The decision marks the end of months of controversy and highlights growing investor scrutiny over valuation fairness and transparency in the outsourcing sector.

TaskUs also faces legal challenges in the United States after a class action lawsuit named the firm and one of its employees in connection with a major Coinbase data breach that exposed sensitive information of tens of thousands of users. The suit, filed in New York, has intensified concerns over third-party data security among major technology clients.

Human talent remains the core advantage

The continued expansion of TaskUs underscores the Philippines’ pivotal role in global outsourcing. While technology and AI redefine operations, the country’s greatest export remains its people—adaptable, motivated, and globally competent. 

As automation grows, the industry’s challenge will be to preserve this human edge while integrating innovation—a balance that may well determine the IT-BPM sector’s success over the next decade.