Philippine call centers eye 40% rural shift by 2028
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippines’ call center sector is making strides in rural development, planning to shift at least 40% of its workforce there by 2028.
This is part of the country’s Digital Cities 2025 program, aimed at making rural areas attractive for global investment.
“With 70% of the workforce in Manila and 30% in the countryside, the vision for 2028 entails a minimum of 40% in rural areas and a maximum of 60% in Metro Manila,” said Contact Center Association of the Philippines Managing Director Rosario Cajucom Bradbury.
IBPAP CEO Jack Madrid revealed that as of 2022, 31% of the industry’s total employees—or 486,000 workers—were already in rural areas. This represents a 17% increase in job opportunities outside Metro Manila from last year, adding 70,000 new roles.
Targeting 2.5 million employees and P59 billion in revenue by 2028, the Philippines also looks to become a global leader in digitally-enabled customer services.
Pandemic-induced changes accelerated remote work and tech adoption in the sector. Concentrix Senior VP Amit Jagga highlighted the role of employee engagement in maintaining service quality.
Artificial intelligence is also gaining traction in the industry, with experts highlighting the tech’s ability to enhance human workers’ skills, not replace them.
As the sector grapples with wage and job security challenges, this strategic shift to rural areas is seen as a major step in achieving rural development and maintaining the Philippines’ competitive edge in the global call center industry.
