Amid Threats, Philippines Spends Millions to Upskill Outsourcing Workers

Business-process outsourcing companies in the Philippines are spending about 1.4 billion pesos ($24 million) a year to upskill their workers, as the industry grapples with talent shortage, artificial intelligence and increased competition.

Each member-company of the 400-strong IT & Business Association of the Philippines has a learning and development team tasked to train new employees, Jack Madrid, the group’s president, told reporters on Wednesday. The amount the firms spend on upskilling is a conservative estimate and is comparable to that of India, the nation’s top competitor, he said.