|
MANILA, Feb 19 (AFP): The number of Filipinos working in the information technology (IT) field will increase by nearly a third to 207,000 by the end of this year, an industry association said Saturday.
About 160,000 Filipinos worked in the IT field at the end of 2004, the Information Technology Association of the Philippines said citing the results of a December survey which predicted the increase.
Information technology has been identified as a promising growth sector for the Philippines with the number of global call centers, data transcription services and other related services multiplying in recent months.
The survey covered 214 firms in both IT and other sectors including the Philippines' largest corporations and government offices.
Respondents expressed concern over the deteriorating English-language skills of young Filipinos, saying this threatened the competitive advantage of the Philippines in IT services.
The survey also indicated that out of 100 applicants for IT-related jobs, only 3.3 per cent were hired.
The poll will help the Philippines address its strengths and weaknesses to maintain its competitive advantage in this field, said Harris Miller, president of the Virginia-based Information Technology Association of America that helped to fund the survey.
A Canadian market research firm said recently the Philippines has the potential to overtake market leader India in the global call center industry, even though local investments in the sector totalled just 116 million dollars last year.
|