WHILE some companies have to cut jobs and let go of some of their workers due to the lingering economic damage brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, here’s one industry that seems to be isolated from all these uncertainties.
The information technology-business process management (IT-BPM), a sector that has buoyed the Cebu economy for many years now, has stood still and is still hiring people.
Connie Carey, president at Aleph Talent Solutions, a human resource (HR) consulting firm, said IT-BPM companies have not stopped hiring people amid the escalating problems that other key industries are facing in these economically depressing times.
“Since the global pandemic, the demand for online services and customer service has increased,” the HR professional told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
“We have not stopped hiring for our BPM and IT partners, while our local, traditional partners have to slam on the brakes for now due to the current situation,” she said.
She said outsourcing companies, which employ a large number of people in Cebu, “will always look” for customer service agents, technical support staff and software developers.
“More than ever, we need to guarantee the security of our financial institutions and the work of media and research have to be consistent—so we are hiring financial customer service representatives and content editors as well,” Carey said.
IT and outsourcing firms are among the biggest job generators in Cebu, employing some 170,000 workers.
“I just want to assure everyone that in these trying and testing times, while our medical frontliners are saving lives, the BPM and IT industries are also working to make sure that we will still have a robust economy when this is all over,” Carey said.
“We are still hiring. There are still jobs, and there will always be jobs. I think it is high time for the government to pour more money into developing our IT infrastructure and talent pool development, because the future is there,” she said.
Aleph, the firm she runs, helps companies set up shop in Cebu but is most known for its executive search and headhunting services.
“We cater to Fortune 500, tech, startup and local companies. Although we have clients from all industries, a great majority is from the tech, IT and BPM space,” she said.