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THE financial meltdown in the United States and
general slowdown in the world economy will impact negatively on the
Philippines call center industry, a former Budget secretary and IBON
Foundation said Friday.
Former Budget Secretary Ben
Diokno said the Arroyo government should start preparing for the
worst, should American companies that invested in call centers in
the Philippines pull out their investments in the industry. About
500,000 are employed in the domestic call center industry.
However, Jonathan de Lezuriagga,
the executive director for industry affairs of the Business
Processing Association of the Philippines, believes the domestic
business process outsourcing industry—which includes call
centers—could double or triple by next year.
Diokno said that this early, the
government should start looking for alternative jobs for call center
agents who might end up unemployed because of the US financial
crunch.
“That [providing alternative
jobs] is what the government should be concerned about,” Diokno
stressed.
He said that while the medical
transcription industry is stable, those accounts servicing the
financial or banking sector of the US may be in jeopardy. Medical
transcription is one of the services outsourced by US firms.
IBON research Head Sonny Africa
said that the business process outsourcing sector, which is led by
call centers, may experience job losses and pressure on wages to
fall, and the same may happen to US subcontractoras in the country.
Africa said major US firms with
outsourcing operations in the Philippines include Accenture, Amex
and American International Group.
Call center industry
sees great growth
However, an official of the
Business Processing Association of the Philippines said some experts
are predicting that the P30-billion call center industry will double
or triple by 2009.
Lezuriagga also believes that
with the US companies struggling to stay afloat, “the most logical
action for them” is to turn to outsourcing and look for countries
that offer cheaper services.
“We don’t see it [US economic
crisis] as alarming for the local call center industry,” he said.
Rep. Joseph Santiago of
Catanduanes said the $500 a month salary of a call center agent in
the Philippines is much cheaper than the salary being provided by
BPO companies in the US.
“A call center agent’s
monthly salary in the Philippines is only equivalent to a three-day
salary in the US,” he said.
--Francis Earl A. Cueto
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