Workers in the ICT industry. MindaNews file photo
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 June) – The shortage of workers in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry continues to widen as demand for workers continues to increase, an official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)-Davao said.
Engr. Albert Gabriel, information technology officer of DICT-Davao, said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday that the demand for ICT jobs is rising amid the rapid expansion of existing companies and the entry of new players in the city.
He said the city continues to attract new investors as the Davao region produces “quality graduates who can readily meet the qualifications of employers, particularly the call centers or the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) sector.
“One of the biggest sectors is IT-BPM. The good thing about the IT-BPM sector is that they don’t need to have a specific course because the requirements come from a bigger discipline,” he said.
He said that the agency continues to conduct caravans across the region to promote the opportunities in the industry and to encourage more workers to consider finding ICT-related jobs.
He said that there were 75,000 workers directly employed in the ICT industry last year but local stakeholders hope to increase the total workforce to 150,000 by 2028.
“Right now, we have a shortage because the demand of our clients abroad increases, knowing the high-quality work performance of our Filipino workers. The more the IT-BPM sector expands, the more jobs will be needed,” he said.
He added that DICT-Davao is helping the industry close the gap in demand by collaborating with the academe to produce more graduates who can meet the qualifications of ICT companies, particularly jobs that require highly technical skills.
Gabriel said the agency is organizing a National ICT Month Job Fair from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on June 26 at the SM City Davao-The Annex Event Center in the hopes of finding more workers for the industry.
He said that 31 local employers would participate in the fair where a total of 4,049 job vacancies would be available to job seekers.
He said among the most in-demand jobs include customer service representatives, customer sales representatives, customer service champions, technical support experts, virtual assistants, healthcare consultants, accounting, cashiers, telco consultants, and riders.
“Davao City is the main hub in which our workforce comes not only from Davao City but also from the different parts of the region,” he said.
One of the biggest IT-BPM participating companies is the Sixeleven Global Services and Solutions, Inc., which has a total of 1,049 job vacancies, he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
