I JUST attended the Cebu ICT-BPM Conference and Expo, which is in its 11th year and probably the largest tech event of the year organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I would like to share some of the most insightful statistics that our government decision makers should be aware of.
This year, the number of business process management workers reached over one million. What they are projecting is that in two to three years, it will reach 1.3 million. But the most significant number is that they are soon projected to earn almost $30 billion in revenue, which is almost the same amount that the overseas Filipino workers send home every year.
Look at the statistic. The first $30 billion will be earned by 1.3 million workers working here, not apart from their families. The second $30 billion will be sent by over 11 million overseas Filipinos, (more than 10 times the number of people) sending the same amount, and who go there at the expense of being separated from their families. So it is pretty clear what we should be encouraging.
The other nugget I would like to share is the presentation of Accenture, where the speaker outlined how they are now using social networks to gauge the applicants or employees. What is significant about the study is that after studying their social profile, most specifically Facebook, most employers actually end up having a negative impression of the applicant. That means far fewer instances where the social network generated a positive assessment. What negative behavior impacts badly on the applicant? The survey says 63 percent is for the use of profanity in their Twitter/Facebook, 66 percent for poor grammar or spelling, 83 percent for illegal drug references, and 70 percent for sexual posts. There was only one instance where it generated positive comments , and 66 percent said, this was due to the person engaging in charity or community works.
So don’t delude yourself. If you are in the job market, try your best to make sure your social profile will generate good impressions rather than negative ones, as this affects your desirability or employability.
There is also an interesting survey conducted on about 1,500 Americans by Suvrate, an online company. They asked which tech CEO they would vote for president.
Twenty-six percent chose Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla), 23 percent picked Google CEO Larry Page and 16 percent chose Apple CEO Tim Cook. This is a good indication of the Americans’ respect for the vision and execution skills of these CEOs. The other tech CEOs that scored high are Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (12 percent), Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (12 percent), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (six percent), Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer (five percent). Interestingly, both Meg Whitman of HP and Ginni Rometty of IBM scored low.
(wilson@ngkhai.com)