BUSINESS process outsourcing (BPO) continued to generate the most number of new jobs in Cebu and the sector shows no sign of slowing down in the next quarters, according to online jobs board JobStreet Philippines.
Of the 3,000 Cebu-based jobs listed in JobStreet from January to March this year, BPO-related jobs accounted for 35 percent, equivalent to at least 1,000 jobs.
“The outlook is very positive. We expect this to continue in the next quarters,” said JobStreet Philippines marketing manager Eileen Camarillo-Go, amid speculations the BPO industry would slow down while US-based investors await details on the outsourcing policies of the Trump administration.
In terms of job listings in JobStreet for the entire country, BPO jobs also continued to dominate.
US President Donald Trump’s anti-outsourcing pronouncements “didn’t reflect on the BPO jobs and we haven’t felt any effect yet. When we talked to our partners in the BPO industry, we saw that it’s not going to happen soon,” said Go.
Based on the JobStreet Cebu Jobs and Salary Report, 47 percent of the jobs for fresh graduates belonged to the BPO sector, primarily in customer service, IT/software, and education specialist positions. Retail jobs, at seven percent, accounted for the second largest group in Cebu, followed by manufacturing (six percent) and food and beverage (three percent).
In terms of pay for fresh graduates or those with less than one year’s experience, education specialists, largely hired by outsourcing firms, were paid the highest, averaging P24,375. This was followed by training and development with P22,859; journalism with P21,095; health care with P20,307; and advertising and media planning with P19,069.
In the junior executive level or those with one to four years’ experience, specialists in Information Technology (IT) were said to be the best-paid employees, with P31,262 as the average monthly pay. Bankers came in second with P30,415; training and development, with P27,197; public relations and communications, with P27,125; and journalists/editors, with P24,600.
At the supervisory level or those with five to 10 years’ experience, IT topped the rank in terms of salary, with an average of P51,621. The highest paid managers were those in corporate strategy, paid P139,163 on average per month. Those in the property and real estate sector receive, on average, P81,625 in monthly take-home pay. IT managers were paid P68,255 per month, on average.
The report also showed that majority of the new hires in Cebu graduated from the University of Cebu, Cebu Institute of Technology University, and University of San Carlos. (JOG)