by Jennie S. Bev, Santa Clara
The Philippines has become the favorite destination for offshore outsourcing of U.S. companies. The country’s young population’s strong skills, culturally adaptable attitude and western-mindedness are a clear advantage. In general, Filipino workers in the global outsourcing marketplace can be distinguished into two categories: migrant workers who work outside their homecountry doing house chores and blue-collar jobs and in-country workers who work at blue-collar jobs, and low-, middle- and higher-level white-collar jobs.
Ten million Filipino migrant workers toil in households around the globe. The Victoria Park in Hong Kong is famous as a weekend gathering spot for those who work in this modern part of China. Throughout Singapore, Filipino waiters and waitresses and salespersons can be found smiling and proudly serving their customers.
Compared to Indian workers whose speaking accent is more on the British side and culturally less adaptable, in general Filipino workers are known for their flexibility and westernized attitude. For U.S. companies, Filipino workers have an advantage over their Indian counterparts for the former are more Americanized as the Philippines was once an American colony.
IT and accounting jobs, which don’t require cultural elements, are still favorably offshored to Indians. Filipino foreign outsourced workers are better with soft-skill jobs like call center customer service, administrative assistance, research, Web search, writing, and editing. A good number of hardcore IT jobs are also absorbed by the Philippines, though India is still leading the pack.
Most Indonesian migrant workers are located in the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Approximately 4.5 to 5 million Indonesian migrant workers are currently working worldwide. No accurate data can be found on Indonesia-based IT and call center offshore outsourcing workers, though manufacturing plants are known to absorb workers in offshore outsourcing production jobs.
Globally, Indonesia is known for its outsourced manufacturing and household workers. In comparison, a relatively small number of Indonesia-related IT workers, consultants, financiers, and managerial executives are currently working in western countries.
Top nine cities for IT outsourcing in 2013 are Bangalore, Mumbai, Manila, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Cebu City and Shanghai. Phillippines cities Mandaluyong and Taguig are also on the radar, challenging second-tier Philippines cities. No Indonesian cities are on the list, which is understandable due to poor Internet infrastructure, relatively un-westernized mindset, and low recognition for hard and soft skills.
In this globalized economy, Indonesia has an unprecedented opportunity to export highly skilled and well-trained workers overseas, physically and virtually. For this, an open mind is a primary requisite. Flexibility in absorbing other cultures is another. Above all, a can-do attitude and continuous strive for excellence are two of the most important traits to succeed in the offshore outsourcing marketplace.
The government can start creating a conducive environment for this purpose. In contrast, Singapore is attracting foreign workers by creating an alluring environment with an open immigration policy and open-for-business “safe haven” taxation provisions.
Indonesia can attract more high-paid offshore jobs like paralegal, accounting, analysis, medical recording, and research provided that English-language ability, analytical, and hardcore skills are on a par with international standards. This requires strong collaborations with educational and training institutions. An international mindset would help.
Indonesia can start by creating an environment that promotes acceptance towards other cultures with diversity and multiculturalism awareness. Understanding of other cultures and high-quality hands-on skills are imperative to succeed in the global offshore outsourcing marketplace.[]
FORBES Indonesia, July 2013
