IT-BPM seeks laws on new working dynamics

CEBU, Philippines —  Leaders of the Information Technology- Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector are seeking legislations to support the new working dynamics under the new normal era, particularly on the work-from-anywhere arrangements.

  IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) president and chief executive officer (CEO) Jack Madrid said remote working or the work-from-anywhere concept is here to stay and that the Philippines should craft legislations and policies on this new work-style, otherwise the country’s edge in outsourcing may be snatched by country-competitors.

Madrid cited the quick action of other country counterparts such as Malaysia, Poland and India to adjust their laws and regulations on labor, which already include the work flexibility arrangements.

“Work-from-home [WFH] is here to stay,” affirmed Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) president Jojo Uligan saying most companies’ observed that allowing people to work from anywhere, not just from their homes improved the attrition rate and this does not affect productivity matrix. In fact, some clients are asking for WFH set-up.

While there are jobs that would require people to work onsite—for data security, internet connection stability, among others, majority of CCAP member companies or 60 percent to 70 percent are still adopting hybrid arrangements, added Uligan.

“Many of the industry believe that hybrid work arrangements will stay in the long term and are preparing for it,” explained Uligan.

Like Madrid, Uligan also wants the government to align its legislations with emphasis on accommodating the remote working dynamics.

Calling for immediate passage of flexible working arrangements in the Philippines, is one of the important issues that will be extensively dissected in the IT/BPM Roadmap 2028 that will be presented to the new administration after the May 9 National Elections.

Aside from absence of legislative blueprint to regulate or support the work-from-anywhere concept, the industry is also faced with long list of challenges albeit brighter prospects, the leaders stressed.

Talent mismatch and high attrition rate, among others are just few of the challenges of the pandemic-resistant industry.

Madrid said in order for the Philippines to continue reaping considerable share of global outsourcing sector, it has to be responsive to the changing needs and fast evolution of the sector.

“We want the government to co-owned with us [the industry],” underscored Madrid adding that the industry’s roadmap for the next six years is crafted to help the government be in tuned in providing support.

Madrid, Uligan and other pillars in the IT/BPM sector in the Philippines, including Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Information Communication Technology (DICT) were the main speakers during the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (CanCham) webinar on IT/BPM Updates and Prospects,  held Thursday, February 25, 2022.

In 2020, industry’s revenue marginally increased by 1.5 percent to US$26.7 billion.

This year, 2022 IT/BPM is forecasted to rake US$ 29 billion in revenues.

Likewise, full time employment has grown from 1.3 million to 1.32 million or an additional of 23,000 people entered the industry in the middle of pandemic.