MANILA and Cebu City remained in the list of top 20 outsourcing destinations in the world, while the Philippines inched to second place among the top digital nations, according to investment advisory firm Tholons.
Manila regained its second position this year from fourth in 2017, while Cebu City is inching its way back into the top 10 outsourcing cities, as it moved a notch higher to 11th this year from 12th in 2017.
Three other Philippine cities and one town -- Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo and Sta. Rosa in Laguna -- remained among the top 100 outsourcing sites.
Wilfredo T. Sa-a Jr., managing director of Cebu IT-BPM Organization (Cib-O), attributed Cebu's improvement in the rankings with the completion of the international airport terminal in Mactan "which will bring more international connections and business opportunities."
He also cited Cebu City's initiatives to open a one-Stop shop for newly hired employees and the planned Outsourcing City at the South Road Properties and the city's partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) through job generation and student immersions.
The Cebu IT-BPM, he said, has also stepped up in terms of upgrading the skills of its workers through partnership with the DepEd, including the adoption of a senior high curriculum that responds to the needs of the industry.
Cebu City ranked eighth in 2016 but slipped in 2017, which industry officials in the business process outsourcing (BPO) attributed to the change in criteria.
For 2017, the global advisory firm introduced for the first time “innovation, startup ecosystem and digital transformation” as key components of the Tholons Services Globalization Index.
In its June 2017 report, it said it introduced digital innovation as its “prime gauge,” which looks into cities and nations for the number of startups, startup diversity, startup ecosystem and government incentives to promote entrepreneurship and digital transformation.
In its 2018 index, Tholons included cyber security, digital skills, scale and global competitiveness as additional criteria. (SunStar Philippines/KOC/SunStar Cebu)