MANILA, Philippines – Information technology services firm Headstrong is expanding its workforce in the country despite the ongoing crisis in the US financial markets.

The Washington, D.C.-based company provides specialized services from out of the Philippines catering to the financial services industries.

Nora Terrado, Headstrong Philippines country manager, said the company plans to hire at least 150 fresh graduates in the next six months. Headstrong currently employs more than 600 workers in its Makati City office.

In an earlier interview, Terrado announced a company plan, dubbed Headstrong 2.0, meant to boost its capabilities against bigger competitors like Accenture and IBM, which also have delivery sites in the Philippines.

Headstrong still plans to ramp up its global workforce to 10,000 by 2011.

Locally, Terrado said the goal is to reach 2,000 workers

"We want to give employment opportunities to fresh graduates who are well-equipped to meet demands of this industry," Terrado said.

Nearly 400,000 people graduate college and join the employment pool every year, and ten percent of these finish IT-related courses. .

The software services sector, under the umbrella business process outsourcing or BPO industry, employs around 30,000 IT professionals, according to Headstrong.