Philippines predicts $15B from call centers by 2016

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines expects to boost its revenues from call centers to nearly $15 billion by 2016, sustaining its three-year lead over rival India, industry leaders said Tuesday.

The archipelago, which already hosts global giants Accenture, Convergys, IBM, NTT Docomo and Hinduja, is attracting more and more likeminded companies, Contact Center Association of the Philippines head Benedict Hernandez said.

“The reality is we have established ourselves as the pre-eminent brand in call centers,” he told reporters at the sidelines of an industry conference.

The sector passed India in revenue terms in 2009 and in manpower terms in 2010, according to industry figures.

Revenues this year are projected at $8.4 billion with 493,000 people employed, Hernandez said, with turnover expected to rise to $14.7 billion by 2016, employing 862,000 people, he added.

Hernandez said that even the sharp appreciation of the Philippine peso against the Indian rupee in recent months, as well as attractive tax incentives offered by other countries, is not expected to dampen interest.

Philippine call centers were also expanding their market from being predominantly English-speaking to other languages including Spanish, Japanese, German, Mandarin, French, Korean, Bahasa and Thai, he added.