Cebu BPO industry records 19% employment growth in first 5 months
Cebu’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry posted 19% employment growth in the first five months of this year, according to local jobs site Mynimo.com. The BPO sector is among the top industries that hired a substantial number of employees. Other industries that recorded significant hiring are maritime, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, medical, media, and administration. Wesley Chiongbian, president of Mynimo, said most vacancies were in sales and marketing, accounting, administration, engineering, and IT. Chiongbian said that most companies that added staff are located in Cebu City, the provincial capital and where many regional headquarters of large firms are located. The provincial business hub recorded 20% hiring growth from companies from January to May. Cebu City is followed by Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Talisay City, and Consolacion. Employment growth for the whole of Cebu was at 16% in the same period. The Cebu BPO sector recorded employment growth of around 160,000 at the end of last year. Wilfredo Sa-a Jr., managing director of Cebu IT BPM Organization, said that while the sector aims to grow by between 180,000 and 200,000 jobs this year, automation and artificial intelligence might affect hiring growth.
