Clark can be the next ‘Fort Bonifacio for BPOs’

Map of Clark, Pampanga / Wikipedia Photo

MANILA — As more property developers and investors target areas outside Manila, a property consultant said Clark can be the country’s next business process outsourcing (BPO) hub.

CBRE Philippines chairman and chief executive Rick Santos said Clark is drawing more BPO firms because of the “young, intelligent, and multilingual” labor pool in Central Luzon.

When it comes to the country’s gross domestic product, Central Luzon is contributing 9.2 percent, ranking third in the top contributors next to Manila with 35.7 percent and Calabarzon with 17.4 percent.

Another important factor which makes Central Luzon a perfect spot for BPO expansion is the large number of workforce in the next two years with an estimated total of 60,000 graduates from business administration and information technology-related courses.

Citing a labor analytics, CBRE Philippines director Francis Bautista said that about 5 to 10 percent of employees working in Makati,

“People actually make the trip from Pampanga everyday, so obviously there is a strong labor pool there,” Bautista said.

He also emphasized the shift of importance from location — an important question when opening a business — to where the labor pool is.

“So instead of having people waste two to three hours commuting to and from their provincial home to have a taste of Metro Manila, if you have that location there, you can pay them less and they will just be happy to be working closer to home,” he added.

“Clark, with the proper infrastructure and strong demographic profile in Central Luzon, is coming out as one of the stronger potentials in real estate development. Developers are now looking to developments up north,” said CBRE Philippines senior director Jan Custodio said.

iQor/Cyber City Teleservices, Sutherland Global Services Stream, NCO, Wallem Innovative Solutions, Startek, and Source HOV are among the IT-BPO companies that have already set up shop in Central Luzon, while other property developers like Ayala Land and Century Properties are also looking forward to developing projects in Pampanga.

With reports from Jon Carlos Rodriguez