Business process outsourcing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Philippines, due in part to the country’s focus on expanding the industry.  In fact, the government is investing heavily in its infrastructure, including construction of a new airport and development of the 600-mile Cyber-Corridor.

In particular, the Philippines ranked highest based on the following key criteria for establishing BPO operations:

• English-speaking workforce: Schools teach in English based upon the U.S. education system, including American-style diction and pronunciation of the English language.  This gives Filipino-English a neutral or almost American accent – an advantage when dealing with mostly American clientele.
• High literacy rates:  At 95.9 percent, it is one of the highest in the world.
• A good educational infrastructure that produces a steady flow of highly qualified potential employees:  A study by the Swiss International Institute for Management Development ranked the Philippines highest among Asian countries in the availability of skilled labor, and also cited the ease in training Filipinos to take over jobs requiring greater competencies and responsibilities.
• A population comprised of workers with a good work ethic.
• Good communications with North America and Europe.

A 2005 study conducted by Singapore-based ACA Research, Inc., also found that Filipinos:

• Are more loyal to their employers, spending an average of 19 months with their firms as compared to only 11 months for their Indian counterparts.
• Have better language skills, with 64 percent of Filipino call center agents able to speak more than two languages, as compared to 40 percent of Indian workers.

It’s also important to note that the Philippines:

• Is geographically located to permit real-time support for Asia and 24x7 coverage for the U.S.
• Has a legal system with firm contract law and intellectual property protections that are similar to the U.S., and accounting systems that were modeled after general accounting procedures used in the U.S.