In recognition of the world-class talent that Filipinos can offer, the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) Industry Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) has launched an industry pride campaign aimed at growing the sector's employment to 2.5 million by 2028.

The new pride campaign has a social media tagline, "With the Philippines," to communicate the spirit and energy of the IBPAP drive. 

IBPAP President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jack Madrid told reporters in a media conference on March 5 that the "aggressive numbers" are part of their roadmap to hopefully secure 2.5 million jobs and $59 billion in export service revenues by 2028.

By the end of 2023, it recorded 1.7 million overall jobs, adding 130,000 new jobs last year, and gaining more than $35 billion revenues.

This makes the IT-BPM industry the largest source of foreign exchange inflow into the Philippines. 

In 2024  alone, IBPAP announced that it is expecting to grow by another seven percent, to reach 1.84 million employees and $40 billion in revenues by the end of 2024.

Drivers of this growth is seen consistently in healthcare, banking, and financial services, along with contact center services which make up 60 percent of the sector.

Many companies cited interest in expanding their Philippine footprint, however, there is a hurdle in finding enough employable talent that would enable the industry to remain cost-competitive.

There is more demand than supply of talent, along with skills gaps in technical skills such as IT and data analysis and soft skills like comprehension and critical thinking, depending on the industry of the BPO, as well as domain skills. 

That's where the rebrand comes into play, noted Madrid.

IBPAP's campaign, conceptualized together with the creative team of the "Made in the Philippines" tourism brand BBDO Guerrero, seeks to address the talent supply issue by encouraging companies and individuals to promote the IT-BPM sector, shifting away from the common "call center" perspective and showcasing the industry as a "long-term, viable, fulfilling career path, and path to the middle class."

Aside from the high monetary compensation, Madrid said the IT-BPM also offers "skills development and the ability to serve global customers through high value work."

Madrid noted that it is a pivotal time to strengthen the Philippines' market share in the IT-BPM industry since many other countries are also becoming business process outsourcing (BPO) destinations such as South Africa, Colombia, and Vietnam, aside from the formidable BPO segment in India.

"This rebranding goes beyond a mere facelift; its about shifting perceptions and uncovering the vast landscape of opportunities within the IT-BPM sector. We take pride in our Filipino workforce, our most valuable asset, and aim to empower them to champion our industry,"  

With 60 percent of workers in the industry belonging to contact centers, workers in the Global Capability Centers (GCCs) like J.P. Morgan and HSBC reach around 240,000.

Meanwhile, the healthcare information management association and software association each have under 200,000 employees. Workers in the creative industries like gaming and animation account for 10,000 or less.