THE Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said it expects to hit its employment targets, adding that the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) will not hinder it from achieving its goal.
CCAP Managing Director Rosario Cajucom-Bradbury said in a statement on Thursday that the goals set out in the 2028 information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) industry roadmap include 2.3 million full-time employees (FTEs) within the 2.5 million workforce of the broader IT-BPM industry by 2028.
“We are confident that the target employment figure will be achieved even with the emergence of generative AI. Contrary to common assumptions, our group believes that the new technology will bolster the sector’s productivity instead of threaten jobs,” Ms. Cajucom-Bradbury said.
“Generative AI can enhance the strengths of our Filipino agents who can then focus on active listening and become more empathetic and engaging when rendering service to our customers,” she added.
The industry is also expected to account for $49 billion of the $59-billion projected industry revenue by 2028.
“The CCAP is confident that the industry will (grow in line with) targets in the 2028 IT-BPM roadmap,” it added.
The CCAP is currently holding its annual Contact Islands Conference in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, between July 26 and 28.
According to Ms. Cajucom-Bradbury, the industry’s agents are also being upskilled to meet the changing nature of jobs in the industry.
“Agents can be redeployed and upskilled to make them always relevant to the future business model,” she said.
In terms of labor, Ms. Cajucom-Bradbury said the Philippines is “no longer just a labor arbitrage” site, adding that labor cost is just one of the various factors considered by clients when signing up for outsourcing services. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
