To hire 600-900 workers: Aussie insurance firm opens Cebu office

CEBU, Philippines - One of the world’s top insurance company QBE Insurance joins Cebu’s flourishing business process outsourcing industry, hiring an initial headcount of 600 to 900 people in the next 18 months.

With headquarters in Australia, QBE has chosen the Philippines as its offshore support office, taking care of their company's backoffice operations since its entry in the Philippines in Manila three years ago.

Yesterday, QBE Group head for operational transformation Mike Emmett together with the company's executives in the Philippine operation were in Cebu to formalize its deal with Skyrise Realty & Development Corporation to occupy majority of the floors on the newly completed 12-floor building Skyrise Alpha at the Cebu Business Park.

In an interview with Emmett, he said that the Cebu office will take care of the group's critical backoffice jobs such as human resource, claims and other insurance related processes, as well as act as its disaster recovery site.

In Manila, QBE employs a total of 1,100 people. The Manila and Cebu offices will be handling the backoffice jobs for the company’s global operations. QBE operates in 50 countries employing over 18 thousand worldwide.

QBE only maintains offshore shared-service operation site in the Philippines to handle its back-office transactions, indicating the company's strong confidence of Filipinos' skills and talents, that could well provide support service in finance, human resource works and services.

At present, QBE is partnering with John Clements Solutions company for its hiring activity in Cebu, which has an office located at i2 building at the Cebu IT Park.

Depending on its global partners’ growth requirement, Emmett said the Cebu office may decide to expand its headcount number after 18 months, the 600 to 900 people "is just an initial" target as the company will start its operations here.

QBE Insurance Group Limited is an Australian based general insurance provider, providing insurance services mainly to the Asia Pacific region, but also America, Canada, and Europe (QBE European Operations). It has offices in 52 countries. Although the company is widely diversified, it is weighted towards property, motor vehicle and marine insurance.

QBE has market capitalization of A$18.6 billion, and represents 2.22 percent of the ASX 200 index [citation needed]. The company reported a 2009 profit of $1.970 billion.

As of August 2012, QBE is ranked 18th among the world's general insurers.

QBE was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1973 from the merger of three companies whose names represent the letters of the combined company, Queensland Insurance, Bankers' and Traders' Insurance Company, and Equitable Life and General Insurance Co. (FREEMAN)