Senator Bam Aquino has reminded relevant government agencies to protect the 1.4 million jobs in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector from identified threats and prepare for the next Senate hearing concerning this matter.
“Our resource speakers have identified three major threats to jobs in the BPO sector: artificial intelligence (AI), the tax reform law, and the shifting economic policies of other countries. We must prepare for these threats and not be caught flat-footed,” said Aquino, who recently held a second hearing on threats to the BPO sector as the chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.
The three major threats to jobs in the BPO sector are: artificial intelligence (AI), the tax reform law, and the shifting economic policies of other countries.
“Hindi maaaring mawalan ng kabuhayan ang Pilipino, lalo na sa panahon ngayon,” the legislator added.
During the first Senate hearing on the threat of AI, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) mentioned that they are anticipating a decline in demand for low-skilled jobs in the IT-BPO industry of about 43,000 jobs by 2022.
On the bright side, there is potential to open up 388,000 jobs for mid-skilled tasks, and 309,000 jobs for high-skilled tasks also by 2022, jobs that the lawmaker hopes the Filipino workforce can be ready for.
“The clear solution is to retrain our workers and upgrade their skills to be viable for higher job levels. Our training centers and academic institutions must start offering courses for these higher-skilled BPO jobs. Kailangan din na mayroong scholarships at TESDA vouchers,” said the youthful senator, who also pushed the free college law as principal sponsor in the Senate.
Our training centers and academic institutions must start offering courses for these higher-skilled BPO jobs.
However, he says the government agencies are not working quick enough.
“I want to see urgency in our agencies to move this forward quickly and with purpose. This is the first time in years that the BPO industry will be at risk. We need to protect our countrymen’s jobs,” Aquino said.