CH to host two more call center job fairs

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2017/09/12/1738364/ch-host-two-more-call-center-job-fairs
• Tuesday, September 12, 2017 12:00 am

By Jean Marvette A. Demecillo (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines — After the successful first grand call center job fair last Saturday, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said there will be another two job fairs this year.

Osmeña said the job fair is one of the efforts of the city government to assist the 400 BPO companies in the city in hiring qualified agents.

“I’m trying to maximize the growth of Cebu. I have to evaluate what is working for us right now. And what is working for us right now are the BPOs. They are the ones helping the poor,” he said.

He said he was encouraged to improve the city’s ranking since BPO industry is helping the needy to improve their lives.

In the Tholons report, Cebu City is on the 12th spot, five notches below its 7th rank in 2016. For three years before 2016, the city was consistently on the 8th rank.

“We will be number one. It will take time but we will be number one (top BPO destination) in the world,” the mayor told reporters.

The mayor said the Cebu City government will be second to none in terms of the BPO industry, adding that he is confident that several agents from different regions of the country will be transferring in the city.

“We are probably one in Asia to have the Call Center City,” he said.

Last Saturday, Osmeña said he met with the leaders of different BPO companies in the city. He said majority of the companies are saying that there’s a lack of qualified people to be employed in the outsourcing business.

The first grand call center job fair resulted in the hiring of at least 500 applicants, including senior citizens who are retired teacher, lawyers, among others.

Osmeña said the city government should assist the BPO industries in producing qualified agents to meet their demands.

The mayor said he has expressed the city’s plan to construct a call center city in the city’s South Road Properties.

The Call Center City is a one-stop-shop for outsourcing. All amenities will be offered to the agents such as facilities for education, restaurants, gym, boarding house, and the offices for call center agencies are in one building.

Osmeña said he has been getting positive feedbacks from the call center agents who want to have master’s degree without resigning.

“The acceptance rating is about 80-90 percent among existing agents,” he said.

As of now, the city government is working closely with the BPO companies to finalize the details of the Call Center City.