SINGAPORE -- The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) are in discussions with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore on the nagging problem of poaching in the high-tech industry, officials told INQUIRER.net here.

CICT commissioner Monchito Ibrahim said the agency is talking with the Singapore agency to look at bringing some high-tech jobs into the country, instead of poaching Filipino information and communications technology professionals from the local industry.

"Instead of getting our people from the Philippines, they should locate some of the jobs in the country," he said in a brief interview here at CommunicAsia in Singapore Expo.

Catherine Ileto, chair of the government power committee in BPAP, for her part, agreed with CICT's plan.

During recent discussions, IDA has agreed that the Philippines is becoming a preferred destination for Singaporean companies wanting to outsource some high-tech jobs overseas.

"Instead of poaching Filipino talents, the IDA should encourage partnerships with Filipino companies," Ileto said.

Ileto added that IDA also subscribes to the idea of "multi-sourcing" jobs to other countries. BPAP is currently lobbying to become one of the preferred locations for Singaporean firms.

In an earlier interview, Philippine Sofware Industry Association Inc. president Beng Coronel acknowledged the problem of poaching in the country with the increasing number of Filipino software engineers migrating to Singapore and Malaysia. In the past, it was the United States, Australia, and the Middle East, she said.

A study done in 2006 by PSIA showed that the current average attrition rate in local software companies was about 12.5 percent. "This is the rate of people were losing to another country and another local company," she added.

Over the years, she believes that the attrition rate in local companies have remained the same. What changed are the countries recruiting local software engineers, Coronel said.

Poaching is also happening within the country, as more outsourcing companies are setting up business, she acknowledged.

"While we abhor the poaching of people, we're also trying to encourage compliance to the mandatory 30-day notice. This should be followed. Losing people is bad enough, but losing accounts and projects is worse," she said.