By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES’ contact center industry is expected to account for 83% of the total revenues of the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry by end-2024.

Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) President Mickey Ocampo said that the IT-BPM industry projected a 7% growth in revenues and employment by end-2024 to $38 billion and 1.82 million, respectively.

In 2023, the industry ended with 1.7 million direct jobs and $35.5 billion in export revenues.

“Of the total revenue, the contact center industry covers 83% of total revenue amounting to $31.5 billion and 89% of total workforce headcount equivalent to 1.62 million,” he said.

“These projections are consistent with the growth targets of the Philippine IT-BPM Roadmap for the period of 2022-2028,” he added.

The CCAP’s revenues this year are slightly lower than its earlier target to grow revenues by 9% to $32.16 billion. In 2023, the association’s members booked revenue of $29.5 billion.

Mr. Ocampo said that the growth of the industry is being driven by cost efficiency, availability of high-quality talent, infrastructure, and strong government support.

“The advent of new technologies such as artif icial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, and cloud solutions creates new opportunities for the IT-BPM industry,” he said.

Mr. Ocampo said the contact center workers should be prepared to utilize these new technologies.

“The industry must transition from traditional contact center services to more complex, KPO (knowledge process outsourcing)-based services, and a key factor is the need to upskill our workforce to adapt to these new technologies and maintain our competitive edge,” he added.

Asked how the industry is preparing for the expected protectionist policies under a Trump presidency, Mr. Ocampo said that they are still on a wait-and-see stance.

“The contact center industry in the Philippines has been able to progress through the years despite changes in the administration of the US,” he said.

“It is still too early to determine any effects of the incoming Trump administration, but if we were to review the previous Trump administration, we do not foresee any adverse effects. Realistically, it will be a wait-and-see situation for a few months of the new administration,” he added.

Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 47^th President of the United States on Jan. 20, 2025. He previously served US president from 2017 to 2021, during which he espoused “America First” policies.

Mr. Ocampo said that the US is still the biggest market of the country for outsourcing services, especially for contact center services.

“While we continue to maintain its position as a destination of choice for contact center service, the industry must increase the availability of the talent pool coming into the industry and the upskilling of existing talent as the adoption of new technologies and the transition to more complex services occur,” he added.

CCAP expects its members to post revenue of $49 billion by 2028, in line with the IT-BPM roadmap 2028, which projects industry revenue of $59 billion by that year.