THE Philippines does not have a talent shortage within the technology industry but does lack experienced talents, according to the country manager of a global tech firm.

During an interview with SunStar Cebu on Nov. 7, 2023, Jay Pegarido, country manager at Sansan Global Development Center Inc., said the country has an abundance of talented individuals in the Information Technology (IT) industry. However, there is a shortage of experienced workers in the field.

“I think we do have lots of IT talents,” said Pegarido.

Sansan Global Development Center Inc. is a Japanese provider of cloud-based solutions that promote digital transformation, which established a global development center in Cebu in February 2023.

Even though Pegarido noted a decrease in IT graduates to 47,000 for the 2019-2020 academic year due to the K to 12 program, he assured that there’s still a pool of talented individuals aligning with industry demands.

One of the roadblocks for companies, Pegarido said, is the hiring of senior developers or engineers within the field. He said there is a bottleneck when it comes to training.

He said there’s a gap between the education system and tech industry requirements in work processes, but coding skills are present. He said it had been a common issue before within the industry, but he noted progress by providing students with industry immersion, reducing onboarding time for companies upon graduation.

“That’s why the good thing now is they are immersing in the IT industry so that when they join aware na sila sa (they are already aware of the) process,” he said.

Pegarido emphasized the necessity for hard skills and passing technical tests when asked about sought-after skills. Additionally, he stressed the importance of soft skills, including social skills, etiquette, and good manners in the workplace.

Pegarido said there are multiple opportunities for growth within the tech industry since there is a good pool of talent within the country and the country is cost-effective regarding investments.

The challenge that Pegarido saw in terms of growth in Cebu is the lack of tech events and symposiums.