BPO firm opens, brings 500 new jobs to Cebu

THE outsourcing industry in Cebu remains robust with a new player bringing in 500 more new jobs in the market.

Firstsource Solutions Ltd. opened their first office in Cebu last Monday at the Skyrise 1 Building in Cebu IT Park.

This is their first expansion in the country since we opened in Alabang in 2007, said Kiram Kosaraju, Firstsource Solutions, Ltd. senior vice president and country head in an interview last Monday.

“We are occupying 2,700 square meters here (at the third floor of Skyrise 1) that can accomodate 500 seats,” said Kosaraju.

Since they started recruiting in Cebu last October, Kosaraju said they have already hired 150 people.

The Cebu office will cater to a major client from the United States of America that’s engaged in the banking business.

“We’ll have both voice and back office support here in Cebu. We are impressed with the abundance of talents we found here in Cebu. It’s the biggest we’ve seen,” he said.

Kosarju said they are eyeing more expansion in Cebu by the end of 2015.

“We are eyeing to double our number here in Cebu by 2015. Enough to fill our capacity here.”

Kosaraju said that they will soon partner with the academe to help them develop the right quality graduates that will support their expansions.

INDIA-BASED BPO

Firstsource Solutions, Ltd. is a global company with presence in six countries – India, United States of America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

“Our headquarters is in India. We are expanding as a group. Our Alabang office has 1,600 people and is continuously expanded,” Kosaraju said.

In a separate interview, National Economic Development Authority Assistant Regional Director Efren Carreon said that despite the calamities that hit the region recently, they expect the outsourcing industry to continue to grow robustly this year.

Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT) executive director Jun Saa who attended last Monday’s opening said that there are many companies on the expansion mode this year in Cebu especilly in the Cebu IT Park.

“The industry remains vibrant and will continue to fuel the economy of Cebu and provide employment for Cebu and its neighboring provinces,” Saa said.