RP ranked 4th best source of IT professionals

The country ranked fourth in a worldwide survey for the best source of information technology (IT) professionals.

The Presidential Commission for the Central Luzon Growth Corridor (PCCLGC) said leading the top three slots in the 2002 Global New Economy Index (GNEI) by the US-based Meta Group, which monitored the IT competitiveness of 47 countries, were India, Israel and Iceland.

The PCCLGC, which oversees economic and investment activities in Central Luzon, said the Philippines was also rated ahead of its Asian neighbors for "excellent availability of skilled workers."

This, the commission said, will reinforce the country’s goal to become Asia’s IT hub.

The PCCLGC said the GNEI’s IT competitiveness criteria included IT workers’ supply and quality, a country’s status for the fast-paced economic globalization, economic dynamism and competition, digital economy transformation and capacity for technological innovation.

Moreover, the study looked into a country’s international Internet usage patterns and infrastructure development.

The GNEI, also called by the Meta Group as the World e-Economy Report, is a "cyber atlas" being sold online at $3,500. Its second edition that ranked the Philippines as fourth in IT competitiveness was released only last June 16.

The Meta Group is utilizing the GNEI to explore "global New Economy development and Internet market growth, providing a global New Economy roadmap for enterprises and governments."

The World e-Economy Report, according to the Meta Group, now contains data on "its emergence as a legitimate player in the global technology scene."

It also contains a broad sampling of Internet usage in various regions and countries, and the influences of technological, political and economic forces in IT growth and advancement.