DivineFist
May 17, 2002, 12:58 AM
Asia-Pacific: IT Job Forecast in the Philippines is Bright
MAY 04, 2002
MELBA-JEAN M. VALDEZ AND ROSARY GRACE D. SARMIENTO
Despite an economic downturn and hiring freezes in many industries, Filipino IT workers are still a hot commodity. Call center, telecommunications and software development are the most sought-after skills this year.
The Philippines' call center industry is expected to be among the biggest recruiters of professional workers in 2002 and beyond, hiring about 4,800 new workers this year. The call center sector is one of five IT areas the Philippine government is heavily promoting for investment.
Telecommunications firms, which made large investments in expansion last year, expect to hire more IT workers this year. In a recent TV forum, an executive from cell phone company Globe Telecom told Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that his company has 250 job openings in telecommunications, engineering and IT.
At the same forum, Fujitsu Ltd. human resources manager Tomas Quiogue Sr. said his company has 950 permanent employees and has hired 300 IT professionals in 2001. This year, Tokyo-based Fujitsu is expected to hire about 350 IT professionals, including 100 network and telecommunications engineers and 250 software developers. Pasig, Philippines-based utilities company Manila Electric Co. says it expects to hire workers with skills in technical support, application development and networking.
Software developers and software quality assurance engineers will be recruited by Manila-based Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions this year, says human resources manager Chi-Chi Marbella. Ana Roqueza, human resource director at IBM Philippines in Quezon City, says the company doesn't expect to hire many new workers this year but will take on people as needed. She says she foresees openings in the software and services group for product specialists.
Meanwhile, at least 2,700 jobs will be generated this year by the entry of several U.S. IT companies into the Philippine market, including Source One Communications, Immequire LLC, EchoStar Communications Corp., Teletech Holdings Inc. and Ambergris Solutions Inc. Philippine companies recruit IT staffers via a mix of methods, including recruitment agencies, online job sites, newspapers and internal referrals. Job fairs are also conducted to attract new graduates.
Colleges and universities churn out an average of 20,000 IT graduates annually, but a lack of industry-driven IT curricula and outdated methodologies are being blamed for a mismatch of skills and demand.
"Local software companies hire a lot of IT graduates, but they end up doing a lot of retraining," says Bartolome Silayan Jr., president of Mind Stream Inc., an IT training institution that recently set up operations in the Philippines with NIIT (National Institute for Information Technology) Ltd. of India to address the issue. "Wouldn't it be nice to hire graduates with the right skills?" Silayan says.
According to figures from the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education, 21,245 students graduated from IT and related programs in the 1999-2000 school year.
Melba-Jean M. Valdez is chief of reporters and Rosary Grace D. Sarmiento is a staff writer at Computerworld Philippines.
Comments and violent reactions?????? This runs contrary to another thread here.
:glee: :glee: :glee:
MAY 04, 2002
MELBA-JEAN M. VALDEZ AND ROSARY GRACE D. SARMIENTO
Despite an economic downturn and hiring freezes in many industries, Filipino IT workers are still a hot commodity. Call center, telecommunications and software development are the most sought-after skills this year.
The Philippines' call center industry is expected to be among the biggest recruiters of professional workers in 2002 and beyond, hiring about 4,800 new workers this year. The call center sector is one of five IT areas the Philippine government is heavily promoting for investment.
Telecommunications firms, which made large investments in expansion last year, expect to hire more IT workers this year. In a recent TV forum, an executive from cell phone company Globe Telecom told Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that his company has 250 job openings in telecommunications, engineering and IT.
At the same forum, Fujitsu Ltd. human resources manager Tomas Quiogue Sr. said his company has 950 permanent employees and has hired 300 IT professionals in 2001. This year, Tokyo-based Fujitsu is expected to hire about 350 IT professionals, including 100 network and telecommunications engineers and 250 software developers. Pasig, Philippines-based utilities company Manila Electric Co. says it expects to hire workers with skills in technical support, application development and networking.
Software developers and software quality assurance engineers will be recruited by Manila-based Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions this year, says human resources manager Chi-Chi Marbella. Ana Roqueza, human resource director at IBM Philippines in Quezon City, says the company doesn't expect to hire many new workers this year but will take on people as needed. She says she foresees openings in the software and services group for product specialists.
Meanwhile, at least 2,700 jobs will be generated this year by the entry of several U.S. IT companies into the Philippine market, including Source One Communications, Immequire LLC, EchoStar Communications Corp., Teletech Holdings Inc. and Ambergris Solutions Inc. Philippine companies recruit IT staffers via a mix of methods, including recruitment agencies, online job sites, newspapers and internal referrals. Job fairs are also conducted to attract new graduates.
Colleges and universities churn out an average of 20,000 IT graduates annually, but a lack of industry-driven IT curricula and outdated methodologies are being blamed for a mismatch of skills and demand.
"Local software companies hire a lot of IT graduates, but they end up doing a lot of retraining," says Bartolome Silayan Jr., president of Mind Stream Inc., an IT training institution that recently set up operations in the Philippines with NIIT (National Institute for Information Technology) Ltd. of India to address the issue. "Wouldn't it be nice to hire graduates with the right skills?" Silayan says.
According to figures from the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education, 21,245 students graduated from IT and related programs in the 1999-2000 school year.
Melba-Jean M. Valdez is chief of reporters and Rosary Grace D. Sarmiento is a staff writer at Computerworld Philippines.
Comments and violent reactions?????? This runs contrary to another thread here.
:glee: :glee: :glee: