DoLE Regional Director for Western Visayas Aida Estabillo said on Thursday that "as crisis caused some businesses to close down, the business process outsourcing (BPO) remains fast-growing and strong."

"Call center jobs definitely offer big compensation and professional work, reasons why thousands of Negrenses prefer to apply," said Estabillo.

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

In Bacolod City alone, thousands of Negrenses and Bacolodnons are applying for call center agent positions.

"Obviously, jobseekers would look for a job that would give them a big opportunity to earn well and establish themselves as professionals," (Estabillo) said. "And since the job is open to all who speak English fluently regardless of educational attainment, naturally, jobseekers would fall in line for call center jobs."

Call centers began in the Philippines as plain providers of e-mail response and managing services, having industrial capabilities for almost all types of customer relations, ranging from travel services, technical support, education, customer care, financial services, online business-to-customer support, and online business-to-business support.

The call center industry is an up-and-coming industry in the Philippines. BPO is regarded as one of the fastest growing industries in the world.

The Philippines is also considered as "location of choice" due to its less expensive operational and labor costs. In 2005, neoIT's 2005 Mapping Offshore Markets Update ranked the Philippines as one of the top BPO destinations.

Some of the world's top performing BPO firms are operating in Bacolod, making the city one of the IT centers in Western Visayas.

"The presence of these call centers greatly help in providing jobs to thousands of unemployed," DoLE said.

Call centers' compensations range from P10,000 to P20,000 or even higher, depending on the position and experience an employee has.

However, since the job deals with foreign costumers, a call center agent has to work mostly during the night until early morning the next day.

But Estabillo said that "since the job offers big salary, agents are not minding the work schedule. Jobseekers have one common thing in mind-to earn big-that's why many are lining up to apply for call center jobs despite the abnormality of the working hours."