Senate to probe effects of TRAIN on BPO industry

Senate will investigate on Monday, March 12, the effects of the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law on those working in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector, Sen. Bam Aquino said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Aquino made the call for the Senate hearing after he received reports that BPO industry might be affected by layoffs due to the TRAIN law.

Aquino chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

“The BPO sector is a major source of livelihood for Filipino families,” he said. “We cannot afford to give away job security and job opportunities, especially with the rising prices of goods.”

“When we first conducted the hearing last year, AI [artificial intelligence] emerged as the main threat to our BPO industry,” he added. “Now we saw the need to include the government tax reform program as it is also taking a toll on the sector.”

According to Aquino, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBPA) had already anticipated a decline in the demand for workers in the BPO industry.

The decline would affect the 43,000-strong workforce by the year 2022, the association said.

In view of this, Aquino urged the government agencies to coordinate with one another in order to “upgrade skills and abilities of Filipino workers through training and education.”

“We can meet the anticipated increase in demand of 388,000 jobs for mid-skilled tasks, and 309,000 jobs for high-skilled tasks in 2022,” he said. /atm