IBPAP to recalibrate roadmap at the International Innovation Summit 2020

by Elton Gagni / October 12, 2020

The IT and business process management (IT-BPM) industry has grown to become an economic powerhouse that remains to drive more foreign investments to the Philippines. While it employs over 1.3 million Filipinos and has contributed USD 26.3 billion in revenue, it continues to steadily grow amid uncertainties.

In 2019, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) unveiled the findings of its roadmap recalibration at its annual event, the International Innovation Summit (IIS). Due to geopolitical issues in the global IT-BPM ecosystem, the industry’s 2022 targets have shifted and are expected to generate revenues around USD 29 million to USD 32 billion while full-time employees will grow to about 1.42 million to 1.57 million, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for 2019-2022 is at 3.5 percent to 7.5 percent in revenue.

Come 2020 with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, IT-BPM similar to other industries has been hit hard, reducing its productivity down to 50 percent in March, when the Enhanced Community Quarantine was declared. Soon deemed as an essential industry by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), it was allowed to operate, but under strict adherence and implementation of health and safety protocols as well as the establishment of flexible work arrangements and work from home guidelines.

As restrictions eased, the industry slowly showed signs of recovery, even driving its productivity level up to 90 percent. As the sector has showcased its resilience during this time, many expect that the challenges brought about by the pandemic will also have an impact on its targets. In a recent press briefing, IBPAP President and CEO Rey Untal shared that they are recalibrating their numbers and will be presenting their findings at the IIS 2020 in November.

With the theme, “A World Caught Unaware: Navigating Pandemic Uncertainties and Unleashing Future IT-BPM Potentials,” the Summit will offer a fresh perspective on how the industry can forge ahead and solidify the country’s position as a top investment destination by demonstrating its value proposition in terms of talent, policy, and technology. It will also lay down the groundwork for the sector’s recovery and future readiness in the context of this evolving reality that it is currently facing.

“The industry is at a crucial turning point. We need to be leading not just conversations about the whats, hows, and whys of sustaining the growth of Philippine IT-BPM but also the strategic action plans to strengthen its role as a major economic driver of the country,” said Untal. “The impact of the health crisis has put the sector in uncharted territories, but knowing of the collective and steadfast efforts of the builders, enablers, and trailblazers of Philippine IT-BPM, we continue to remain hopeful about the future.”

Set to happen on November 4, 5, 10, 17 and 19, this is the first time that the IIS will be done virtually, there will be a total of six plenary sessions, two fireside chats, and one panel discussion that will examine the various concerns, including trends and forces that will propel the sector; considerations for the new era of work; role of digitalization and its imperatives; adequacy of business continuity plans; employee learning, engagement, and diversity; and issues of information security and cybersecurity.

“The industry continues to be very hopeful for its future and to continue its contribution in the economy and in the country as one of the biggest creators jobs, generators of our currency, enablers of inclusive growth, and developers of countryside progress. We can expect how this industry will confirm our resilience and identify and create programs for the new enablers as we move forward to continue our excitement to continue to grow and be an engine of inclusive growth,” said Lito Tayag, IBPAP’s Board of Trustee Chairman.

IIS 2020 is organized by IBPAP in partnership with its six partner associations, as well as key government agencies such as Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the academe.