• By quade
• 2 September 2024

Experts Estimate That 40% of BPO Jobs Will Operate Outside NCR by 2028

Thanks to advancements in technology, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry can tap into the workforce outside the National Capital Region (NCR). This can offer BPO jobs to people across all provinces, providing more opportunities to those in the provinces who have the technical skills to work in the industry.

This shift is thanks to the development of high-speed internet and advanced communication tools. Both of these allow for seamless collaboration and productivity for people across the world. The trend only grows as some experts believe that almost half the BPO workforce in the country will be working remotely by 2028.

Emergence of Work From Home in BPO Jobs

Jack Madrid, president of the IBPAP led a discussion about a potential shift in the BPO industry. He explained that many BPO jobs will gradually shift to remote work. Unsurprisingly, this development began with the Covid-19 crisis which prevented workers from entering the office.

Instead, workers had to work from home using tools like Zoom, slack, and time-tracking apps. While a response to the pandemic, it proved to be popular among workers and employers as it was an effective cost-saving tool for both parties and boosted employment in the provinces. 

“The pandemic accelerated the trend towards countryside development. Before COVID, only 25% of our workforce was outside Manila but today, we are at 32% of a larger workforce. We see this trend continuing to 2028 where as much as 40% of our workforce will be outside Metro Manila, in centers like Cebu.”

-Jack Madrid, PResident of IBPAP.

Benefits of Shifting to Remote BPO Jobs

Madrid has pointed out many benefits that come from shifting BPO jobs from physical spaces to remote work. The biggest of these are the cost-saving benefits for both parties. For workers, they will no longer have to worry about commuting, travel time, or buying lunch and other expenses from the office as they can access everything they need from their home. This saves them both time and money, allowing them to put their full attention to work.

Meanwhile, BPOs will not have to worry about rent on office space which has increasingly gotten more expensive. The same is true for operations as they also have significantly fewer costs regarding electricity, internet, and food. All of those are passed onto the worker.

Aside from that, companies can tap into the talent of different regions for BPO jobs as they are not limited by proximity. This allows them to gather workers from all across the Philippines with the only consideration being their expertise and capabilities. This makes for a fairer and more reliable recruitment pool.

The locals also benefit from it as allowing workers to remain at home, boosts local economic development, and reduces the issues of brain drain. This creates a more resilient economy as a whole which can attract new investors. 

Being able to shift their setup like this is a promising sign for the industry as it shows its maturity and resilience as it can keep up with the latest developments.

How Can BPOs Benefit from WFH BPO Jobs

The shift to Work-From-Home (WFH) BPO jobs has proven to be very effective in enhancing business operations for all parties. By embracing WFH BPO jobs, workers can feel more satisfied with their work as they do not have to deal with issues like commuting and can better maintain a work-life balance. This in turn makes them more productive as they feel more content working.

This also increases the talent pool as many workers may not be able to work on-site due to location, lifestyle, or other issues. Moreover, the WFH model improves continuity and resilience to disruptions. In the event of issues like emergencies, natural disasters, or even traffic it allows operations to continue with minimal disruption and scale the BPO by being able to hire dynamically, recruit talent from different regions and time zones to provide around-the-clock support, and better serve global clients.

By adopting WFH BPO jobs, the organization can ensure that companies get the best employees across the country. This is critical to ensuring that business operations remain flexible and able to handle all challenges. In the long run, this creates a sustainable organization even with all the changes in the business world now.