BPO offers more jobs for call center agents

LAOAG CITY, April 21 (PIA) – A new Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company is set to open its doors to job seekers who are qualified to work as call center agents here.

The Expert Global Solutions (EGS), a large BPO company, is set to put up a site in Laoag City, creating employment opportunities for Ilocanos in the information technology and BPO industry.

Since September 2013, the EGS had conducted a series of recruitment activities at the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) here and in schools and private establishments.

The provincial government of Ilocos Norte had allowed the company to use its I-Hub Center for free for the interviews and final tests.

Initially, Director Grace Ursua of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 1 announced that a total of 50 applicants passed the training in the company’s Clark, Pampanga branch, where they will work for the meantime while preparations for the Ilocos Norte site are underway.
From January to February 2014, the Ilocos Norte Field Office of the DOLE reported another 27 applicants to have qualified for the training.

Starting basic salary for an entry position is P10,000 with P3,500 monthly incentive.

Ursua lauded the strong partnership of the EGS, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City, DOLE-Ilocos Norte Field Office and other partners, saying the new development has brought BPO job opportunities closer to applicants from the provinces.

“With the remarkable growth rate and revenues in the IT-BPO sector, it is undeniably in need of many workers. Job seekers, particularly from Ilocos Norte, should take advantage of the opportunity to work in a very dynamic industry,” she said.
Based on DOLE’s Project Jobs Fit Labor Market Information 2013-2020, IT-BPO jobs are among the most in-demand or hard-to-fill occupations.
Contrary to conventional perceptions that the IT-BPO industry is comprised only of call centers, the industry branches out into three main divisions: (1) the BPO division, (2) the IT and Cyber services division, and (3) the Engineering Services division.

“Aside from call center agents, there are various occupations in the sector,” Ursua said.

She said that other positions include those which are related to finance and accounting, human resource administration, data transcription, animation, digital content/game development, software development, engineering development, among others. (FREDDIE G. LAZARO with reports from Arly Sta. Ana-Valdez and Leonavella Dadiz-Duldulao of DOLE)