BPO, electronics remain Phl’s key job makers — Go

As the Philippines continues to dominate the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, Finance Secretary Frederick Go said the government is banking on it, along with the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing sector, and renewable energy, as producers of jobs for Filipinos.

“Creation of jobs, it’s everything we do, from the reforms we have created to attract investments, both foreign and domestic investments. It has one singular purpose, which is to provide jobs for millions of Filipinos,” Secretary Go said during a panel interview at the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings 2026 on 16 April in Washington DC.

To sustain job generation, Go identified the BPO industry, along with the said sectors, as rapidly growing sectors, key to powering the country’s next wave of employment.

He noted that the BPO industry is evolving into higher-value services such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and IT-enabled services — opening more opportunities for Filipino workers.

Earlier, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) pegged its growth projection for the IT-BPM sector at $42 billion in terms of export revenues, employing approximately 1.97 million full-time employees in 2026.

For his part, Felipe Jaramillo, vice president for Asia and the Pacific of the World Bank, highlighted how the Philippine BPO sector has successfully transitioned from basic services to higher-value activities such as data analytics, IT support, and AI-enabled services, and continues to demonstrate growth.

“I think we all should follow the Philippines’ example in moving towards these higher-value services in East Asia Pacific,” Jaramillo said.

Semiconductor expansion

Beyond services, Secretary Go also cited the continued expansion of the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing sector, where global firms such as Samsung are increasing investments, creating more jobs in advanced manufacturing.

Go stressed emphasized the growing importance of clean and renewable energy as a major source of employment, with increasing investments in wind, solar, and geothermal projects that leverage the country’s natural strengths.

“Our weakness is our strength. We get hit by a lot of typhoons, so we need to harness the wind power. We get a lot of sun, so we need to harness solar power. And third, we’re also a volcanic country, we need to find ways to keep harnessing the geothermal energy,” Go added.