MANILA, Philippines – Outsourcing firm Accenture said it is laying off at least 500 workers in the country due to a "redundancy” program.

In a statement sent to INQUIRER.net, the company said it is implementing a redundancy program "to balance the skills of its workforce against the demand from its clients".

This affects approximately three percent of its total workforce in the Philippines or approximately 500 out of a total headcount of more than 16,000 employees.

Accenture, however, said the reduction applies only to certain "excess" skill sets within its outsourced technology services unit.

The company added it continues to recruit in the Philippines for other skills to meet client demand.

Accenture has been operating in the Philippines for more than two decades and has ramped up workforce in the last few years due to the outsourcing boom.

The company operates eight delivery centers locally, its most recently established site located in Cebu City.

The Philippines has the third-largest headcount in Accenture's global network, next to the US and India.