Despite the pressures of a global slowdown, the BPO industry in the Philippines is expecting to post robust year-on-year growth rates of up to 30 per cent this year on the back of increased outsourcing options, published media reports suggest.

The Philippines Star quotes Ronald U. Gaerlan of the Advanced Contact Solutions as stating that though the voice-related outsourcing may see some flatness, the non-voice IT services business would grow at a robust rate.

He also felt that for companies related to mortgage activities, there would be a requirement for premium reminders, those who can go about collecting bad debts. So, this could lead to good demand for the outbound calls, he was quoted as saying on the website philstar.com.

He also reiterated the impact of the weakness in the Philippine currency Peso on the corporate bottomlines of BPO companies. It was trading at 49 to a dollar, almost at the same levels as the Indian Rupee, a factor that means Philippines will have to work harder to compete with their Indian counterparts in the industry.

He, however, warned that when the US market slows down, so would the rate of customers, which would mean that customer care too will take a hit. “So, banks would have to find ways to retain their spread and make profits,” he was quoted as saying.

The official was quoted as saying that the BPO growth was on track and so were the hiring patterns in the industry, which was expected to grow between 20 to 30 per cent.