The number of employees resigning in the business process outsourcing and contact center industry continues to decline, according to the latest survey from the Contact Center Association of the Philippines.

The 148-member organization’s annual Attrition and Retention Survey results showed that the voluntary attrition rate of the BPO industry slowed to 31 percent in 2022 from 36 percent in 2021.

Conducted by data solutions firm Willis Towers Watson, the pll revealed that the involuntary attrition rate in 2022 was 14.1 percent, while the rate of agents committing absence without leave (or unauthorized leave considered work abandonment) was 9.9 percent.

About 1.9 percent of hired agents were ‘No Show’ or did not report to work on Day 1.

The total voluntary and involuntary attrition rate in 2022 was 45 percent.

Highest attrition rate

Historically, the call center sector has among the highest employee attrition rates in the country.

About 60 percent to 70 percent of agents had been leaving their companies until 2016, when the rate began to slow below 50 percent.

Meanwhile, preliminary data covering the first half of 2023 (latest available information) showed that the voluntary attrition rate was 19 percent, while involuntary attrition was 9.2 percent, the unauthorized leave rate was 8.1 percent, and the no-show rate was 2.5 percent.

Overall, the six-month attrition rate was 28 percent.

“CCAP-member companies are continuously investing to make the workplace more conducive in the digital age,” said CCAP president Mickey Ocampo.

“The poll data indicate that the sector’s efforts to re-skill and upskill its workforce are paying off amid the evolving landscape,” he added.

Salary still competitive

In a press conference on Monday, CCAP director, Haidee Enriquez stressed that salaries offered by BPO companies remain competitive compared to other industries.

“Even though our base salary is one of the biggest compared to other industries, it’s not only about salaries, but also the benefits, incentives, and bonuses that our workers are getting. In our industry, the more you perform, the higher you get paid,” Enriquez said.

Depending on the scope of responsibilities, the range of salaries of BPO and contact center companies range from P28,000 to as high as P45,000.

Companies hiring the most number of full-time employees are Teleperfomance, Concentrix, Alorica and Accenture.

Enriquez said the whole contact center industry now has 150,000 unfilled positions.

Giant names

CCAP has 148-member companies, consisting of giant names, as well as BPO companies in the small and medium-sized enterprise category.

Earlier, the group said the country’s contact center and business process sector is expected to post an estimated record annual revenue of around $32.16 billion in 2024, which is based on a yearly average sectoral revenue growth of about 9 percent, as indicated in an analysis by global industry research firm Everest Group.

In 2023, the contact center and business process sector posted an annual revenue of $29.50 billion, up by 9 percent compared to the annual revenue of $27 billion in 2022.

Yearly revenue for the sector accounted for 83 percent of overall revenue posted by the country’s entire information technology and business process management industry of $35.5 billion and $32.50 billion in 2023 and 2022, respectively.