Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual has called on the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector to continue investing in the development of Filipino talents to sustain its growth.

Speaking at the IT-BPM Talent Summit in Makati City Thursday, Pascual said although the Philippines remains to be the second largest destination for outsourcing services, local players should not be complacent in upskilling their workforce.

“We cannot be complacent. We need to develop the digital talents of the Philippines’ human resources and make them globally competitive to sustain and fuel the growth of our IT-BPM industry,” he said.

The local IT-BPM, which is valued between USD265 billion and USD275 billion, accounts for up to 18 percent of the global IT-BPM talents.

“It is our responsibility as a nation to harness this potential and develop a workforce that is not only competitive but also a formidable force in the ever-evolving digital landscape,” Pascual said.

He urged IT-BPM companies in the Philippines to support education and training programs focusing on digital skills, such as coding, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

He added that the DTI and its investment promotion arm, the Board of Investments (BOI), support talent development initiatives by partnering with stakeholders, as well as providing fiscal incentives.

The DTI, along with the departments of education, information and communications technology, labor, and science and technology, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the IT Business Process Association of the Philippines, launched an inter-agency technical working group to support the growth of Filipino talents in the ITBPM sector.

“With the concerted efforts of all of us here and other stakeholders, we can develop a skilled, globally competitive workforce that will propel our ITBPM industry to greater heights,” Pascual said. (PNA)