Call center Accenture to hire 5,000 new agents

(Updated 5:15 p.m.) Outsourcing firm Accenture on Thursday said it plans to employ about 5,000 agents in the run up to August next year with the launch of three new facilities in Manila and in Cebu. In a press conference in Taguig City, Accenture group chairman and CEO William Green said his company's employee base in the Philippines will total 25,000 by August 2011, the end of its fiscal year. "The breadth of services that are supported out of the Philippines not only allow us to meet the needs of our clients but also to provide varied career opportunities for Filipino professionals to showcase to the world their tremendous skills," Green said. On Thursday, Accenture simultaneously launched its new contact centers in McKinley Hill-Taguig, Eastwood-Quezon City, and in Cebu City. The new call centers brought to 13 its Philippines facilities. With the growing demand for manpower, Accenture is promoting its "Skills-to-Success Program," which enables its present or possible workers to be equipped with business-oriented skills while working at the outsourcing firm," said Lito Tayag, Accenture’s Philippine country manager. The Outsourcing firm is investing $100 million for the five-year program ending in 2015, Green said. "There are incredible talents waiting to be discovered," Tayag said, pointing out that it will continue to build seats as the need arises. Green pointed out that with the "positive business climate" in the Philippines, Accenture will continue to look for locations to set up new facilities. At present, Accenture group has more than 204,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. The group generated net revenues of $21.6 billion for fiscal-year 2010 that ended in August. Green said that group revenues are growing by 7-10 percent a year. Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was at the launching in Taguig, said that Accenture’s expansion demonstrates a commitment to the Philippines and the local outsourcing industry, which “greatly contributed to the economy" in the recent years. The Philippine economy grew by 7.9 percent, buoyed by the services sector that includes business process outsourcing. "We are optimistic that this kind of investments will continue to showcase Filipino talent and boost the Philippines’ position as a strategic location for technology and business process outsourcing [for] the rest of the world," Binay said in a statement. Together with India and China, the Philippines leads the world in the BPO industry. — VS, GMANews.TV