Kearney: PH BPOs ‘particularly vulnerable’ to changing job trends

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines is seen to be “particularly vulnerable” to the changing employment trends in the country, said management consulting firm Kearney.
In a new study, Kearney revealed that as many as 100,000 jobs in the Philippines are at risk of becoming obsolete due to rapid global digitalization, with retail and back-office roles expected to be heavily impacted than other industries.
“Retail is typically going to be badly hit… Also, any back-office roles that require your traditional data entry, more manual type processes, are going to be impacted as well,” said Kearney Philippines Country Head Marco de la Rosa.
De la Rosa added that the repercussions are already being felt in financial institutions and telecommunications sectors.
The Philippine BPO industry accounts for 10-15% of the global BPO workforce. To maintain its position in the global BPO market, Kearney suggests that the country needs to re-strategize its overall approach.
With the potential threat to jobs, de la Rosa also stresses the need for upskilling and reskilling of workers to adapt to evolving demands.
Last 2022, the Philippine outsourcing industry employed 1.57 million full-time workers and generated US$32.5 billion in revenue.