This Monday, March 1st, the Philippines administered its COVID-19 vaccination dose and general rollout – just over one year after the first reported COVID-19 case in the country. The country launched the vaccination drive with 600,000 doses of donated Chinese CoronaVac. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also announced that 525,600 AstraZeneca vaccine doses earlier scheduled will be delayed for “about a week,” owing to a “global supply problem.” While the vaccination launch seems like a step towards the new normal, Metro Manila will remain under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the whole month of March. The decision was made despite calls from various agencies to switch to the more lax Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) lockdown restriction. However, the move was supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) – with the WHO country representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe, saying that switching to MGCQ could cause an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. credits: outsource accelerator
Back Office Outsourcing Can Work Well for Manufacturing Businesses
Manufacturing is an industry that is constantly looking for ways to operate leaner and more efficiently. From production to shipping, from supply chain management to employee attraction and retention, manufacturers are always in motion and required to meet often-tight deadlines on an ongoing basis. So finding ways to save money while doing this becomes critical. One way in which some manufacturers have found success in this area and others certainly could as well, is through business practice outsourcing (BPO) in certain areas, or simply externalizing certain company functions. While this model is likely not the solution for manufacturers for their core operations such as the production floor or research and development, it absolutely can work with back-office functions, such as payroll, human resources, and accounting. By repositioning these areas with BPO, the day-to-day operations of the manufacturing company can be better managed. Outsourcing these types of financial or HR services can actually go a long way toward helping manufacturers focus on their goals, bring more efficiencies to the overall operation, and reduce overhead costs. BPO can alleviate workload and time-consuming tasks for various departments that eat into the company’s bottom line. By employing BPO in tasks such as bookkeeping, tax return processing, auditing, and year-end financial reporting, it’s one more burden taken off of the manufacturer and allows for better concentration on what the business does best—developing, producing, and shipping products to its customers. Manufacturers best poised to take advantage of BPO are those either in the start-up phase of operation or those who function as suppliers for larger companies. In the case of the former, with a fledgling manufacturing business, why devote resources at the outset to creating internal finance and HR departments, when they can be better used to getting the operation off the ground. With suppliers, many of whom are small machine or production shops, it’s a similar benefit—the expense of outsourcing these departments can be far less than creating them in-house. The bottom line in both is efficiency—a startup or supplier likely has a great idea or a great product to offer, and that is where their expertise lies and their energy should be. And that remains perhaps the most essential benefit of bringing BPO into a manufacturing business—keeping the focus on the businesses’ core competencies and doing what it does best. BPO helps to keep strategic priorities front and center while leaving the back office tasks to professionals who do that for a living—it will both save money and bring peace of mind that the operation is sound. The alternative is nowhere near as attractive—a manufacturing business that overextends itself into areas less known to it has a much greater chance of losing core focus and damaging both productivity and customer relations. No one wants that to happen, which is why BPO services make sense for manufacturing companies. In a time of increased competition and a global market where margins are often razor-thin, manufacturers are looking for every way possible to save money and invest in their company right away. Exploring BPO for back-office operations is one proven way to keep things moving in the right direction. Tru29 has a robust understanding of the changing face of back-office services. Through a partnership with us, you can be assured that you will be adding value to your business today while taking the first steps towards ensuring preparedness for tomorrow.
Recreation and Relaxation at the Workplace
Recreation and Relaxation at the Workplace The focus of a business of any size is the work and productivity levels that need to be achieved in order to reach and exceed targets. A company’s success rate often depends on the team of people at the helm, and the motivation and momentum of staff always has a direct impact on how quickly the business moves forwards, expands, and profits. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that your employees have all they need in the workplace, to thrive and do their job to the best of their ability. Alongside the correct equipment, tools, and support; your staff will need to be allowed to relax, revive, and recuperate themselves for set periods of time throughout their working day. Eating their snacks or lunch at their desk can make them feel overwhelmed and overworked. Therefore, it’s crucial that you provide a space away from the work environment, where your team can switch off somewhat, and regain the energy to get back to work again. The following are some ideas and inspiration for business owners who want to create a haven in their workplace, where staff can really chill-out. A Place Like No Other Obviously, the chill-out space, or room, will be a little bit like the rest of the office, as they’ll be in the same building. However, it’s vital that you separate the environment clearly so that your staff feels like they’ve actually escaped a little. You can have some more fun with the decor, and make the most of creative color palettes and prints. The point is to be as light-hearted and chilled-out as possible, so bear that in mind when it’s time to decorate and accessorize. Keeping It Comfy If your team has been sat at a desk, on a desk chair for most of the day; they’ll want something more comfortable to relax on. Therefore, it’s worth investing in comfortable seating for your chill-out zone, and ensuring your employees can truly relax. Giant bean bags are great for sinking into, and they also provide the space with a sense of laid back fun. A quality sofa and plenty of cushions will allow those who prefer to sit-up a bit more, to enjoy a softer seat. Don’t forget a table and chairs too; many people prefer to eat, read, and chat at a table, so it’s worth providing them with space. Homely Touches Again, anything that can separate the chill-out space from the rest of the office or studio, is a great thing. Therefore, think about the little homely touches that will keep it fresh, stylish, and cozy. Plants and fresh flowers will make a great addition to surfaces, the floor, and window ledges. Festoon or string lights provide a cozy and snug touch, that will help people unwind with ease. As long as you ensure that space is kept clean and tidy; your team will benefit from the time they spend there, which will boost their productivity for the rest of the working day. In designing a workplace, the most important thing is to make sure that it’s engineered for productivity. This can mean many things, and in fact, we’re still learning about how to optimize space for this purpose. Given an office carefully designed to accomplish this purpose, however, the next thing to think about is how to keep employees relaxed and happy. This isn’t simply a nice thing to do but actually plays into maximizing productivity. Happy, relaxed employees are less likely to give in to stress and more likely to put their energy to good use during the hours when they’re actually working. It’s for this reason that some modern workplaces are providing employees with lounge-like areas where they can relax. These “chill spaces” are meant to feel separate from the actual office space, such that they allow people to disconnect during breaks or over lunch and recharge, to some extent, rather than eating or taking a few minutes off at a desk. All in all, it’s believed that providing a chill space reduces employee stress and, as a result, boosts productivity. In addition to a chill space though, it can also be a productive idea to design more of a recreation area, where employees can achieve the same healthy disconnect from work for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, but can also have a little bit of fun and bond a little bit with co-workers.
Relevance of Outsourcing during COVID19 Pandemic
The year 2020 has emerged as one of the most challenging years in recent history, with the whole world responding and looking to recover from the health and economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted every industry, causing businesses to revise budgets, amongst many other operational matters, in order to manage the effects of the pandemic. With the viability of several companies at risk, as a result, companies are striving to be in a position of financial stability by focusing on revenue generation and outsourcing non-core functions. Global competition for most businesses is fierce. Therefore, businesses must take advantage of areas they can leverage to improve efficiency and reduce costs in order to allow more time and human resources to focus on generating revenue activities. Bringing more efficiency to the daily workflow while also scaling productivity, will become the focus of many businesses in the future. Working with an experienced outsourcing provider helps companies overcome productivity challenges, streamline operations and add additional resources that may be lacking in-house. From sales to recruitment to operations, outsourcing provides an unlimited amount of opportunities to help your business work smarter. Advances in technology have helped forward-looking companies to benefit significantly from outsourcing services for quite some time now. This is particularly relevant for small to medium-sized enterprises, who simply lack the space or labor funds for in-house auxiliary departments like finance and payroll. There are one-time opportunities emerging from the disruption of the pandemic, therefore it is vital for businesses to re-assess their strategies and the way they operate. Through outsourcing, businesses can create a pool of additional funds, from the elimination of expenses from non-core activities, thus enabling opportunities for growth and innovation. The outsourcing model reduces expenses by eliminating the need to hire or train new employees and/or the support staff (HR, admin, etc.) and increase occupancy costs and investment in additional office space and equipment. Having a large pool of outsourced “on-demand” talent means companies can rapidly scale their workforce without the need to hire additional full-time employees and increase their overheads and their investment in office space and equipment. Using outsourcing creates new opportunities and makes better use of existing talent that helps employers get the most out of their current workforce. One of the main appeals of using contracted workers is the new opportunities created for existing employees. Not only to improve morale but to promote creativity and enhance their overall value to the organization. Certain auxiliary tasks that are outsourced, allows in-house talent to focus on more strategic activities and projects that better leverage their skill sets, knowledge, and abilities and truly generate results. Similarly, for every employee that is not hired to perform a support function, more budget is available to hire a revenue-generating employee. Further to saving time and money which usually garner all the attention, outsourcing certain operational functions allow access to the latest technology and systems as well as best-practice in certain activities. With technology expected to grow exponentially and disruptively in the coming years, investing in the latest technology may not be an option for most companies but outsourcing will give them access to the latest available technology and therefore allow them to remain competitive and relevant. Not only due to COVID-19, but businesses today are also facing a rapidly evolving landscape, including regulatory changes, continuous advances in technology, and the adoption of more sophisticated approaches by authorities. These challenges are causing businesses to rethink the appropriate mix of in-house and external resources in efficiently managing essential operational processes with visibility, flexibility, transparency, and control. Outsourcing ultimately offers business owners great advantages. The process allows them to build a team of skilled professionals without adding the expense of full-time employees and additional office space and equipment. With outsourcing, business owners and senior management can focus their time, attention, and resources on their company’s core competencies and spend their time setting new goals and finding ways to achieve them. credits/source: https://www2.deloitte.com/cy/en/pages/tax/articles/outsourcing_relevancy_post_covid19_environment.html
Tru29 Announces its new Philippine Landline Number
Tru29 is glad to announce its strategic partnership with PLDT. The partnership is in line with the continuous endeavor of Tru29 to improve its services to the general public, its employees, and clients by provisioning a new Philippine Landline Number as shown below: +63 2 8545 2690 This new landline number of Tru29 shall be activated and available starting on the 19th of January 2021. Tru29’s Management continually seeks to improve every aspect of its operations.
Outsourcing Benefits During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Every industry in the world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the food industry, and has suffered many organizational and financial challenges. Companies are also searching for ways to solve the issues while meeting the needs of their clients, consumers, or staff. Outsourcing is a very useful practice. It was before the COVID-19 pandemic, remains so during, and will continue to be afterward. It allows businesses to increase their capacity and output to meet unexpected or immediate demands. It is an option that works well to improve productivity and efficiency and keep on top of costs. Outsourcing is a type of arrangement where a company reaches out to external suppliers to conduct its business functions or activities. You may either move the business activities to a neighboring country or to a distant country known as offshoring. What tasks can be outsourced? Inventory management Payroll Social media management Content creation IT services Data conversion Call center (customer service, helpdesk, technical support whether via chat, phone or email) Website management (design, development) Transcription Accounting and bookkeeping These days, a business has to be flexible and have workforces that are responsive to the ever-changing environment. That has never been so apparent as with the COVID-19 pandemic – an agile workforce is essential. Here, we look at the broad benefits of outsourcing during the coronavirus pandemic. Why can outsourcing benefit a business during the Coronavirus pandemic? Outsourcing helps to improve efficiencies and controls costs In order to increase efficiencies and control costs, outsourcing is now a very viable option. Most companies who do use outsourcing can verify that the process can take a number of in-company obstacles simpler. It enables management to concentrate on the core business operation and to reduce the time and costs associated with staff on-boarding, to encourage their training and development needs, to handle the criteria for leave, and to avoid the need to maintain adequate resources to cover possible absences. In today’s dynamic climate, where companies need to be able to survive any economic downturn while still ensuring continuity of operation, these costs need to be carefully considered. Outsourcing these tasks means that organizations can accomplish all goals and that decision-makers can ramp up or scale down requirements to meet their business needs. Specialists in outsourcing will hit the ground running, enabling important people inside a company to spend more time on the core business activities and gradually becoming more productive and thus more profitable. Outsourcing gives organizations access to a wide range of skills and fast turnaround Businesses can take advantage of a wide variety of expertise and skills when it comes to outsourcing and using external resources and ability, perhaps more than anyone can understand be Outsourcing can provide the right personnel, for everything from finance, legal, logistics, marketing, sales, and facility management and managed IT services, to list just a few. It has been found that companies can rapidly increase their capacity to meet urgent or unforeseen requirements and change their scale in a prudent way. The rapid turnaround is one of the advantages of outsourcing because resources with specialist experience and the requisite skills are instantly available without substantial investment in preparation, growth, and onboarding. Outsourcing often has major cost savings and time-saving advantages, whereby the costly control of internal resources is substituted by a negotiated fixed sum for the outsourcing provider. Outsourcing gives businesses the ability to reach a larger pool of resources that will allow them to use added-value skills that would not otherwise have been an option in many cases. Added to this, while outsourced team members can become an integrated part of an organization, they will also bring a new viewpoint and probably new ideas that will act as a catalyst for change. Outsourcing allows businesses to keep up with the competition Outsourcing is not just for huge firms and everybody can do it. For small businesses, it is particularly helpful since they do not have the budget or capital to handle their operations. In addition, it is better to outsource as it would meet their financial requirement, and they don’t even have to think about recruiting more individuals to bring in new talents. In addition to that, it will allow them to compete with large corporations by providing the same knowledge, resources, and services to their potential clients. Outsourcing provides much-needed continuity during periods of instability The continuity given by outsourcing is one very significant advantage of the process particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outsourcing often offers continuity cover to organizations to make sure that the job can always be done in compliance with the negotiated deadlines. This is a particularly important focus for most businesses. Ultimately, whether to retain in-house personnel or outsource your tasks depends on you. It is advisable, however, to choose to outsource because during the pandemic situation it will help a great deal in growing the business. If you still think it’s a little daunting, then you can begin by first outsourcing the low-value tasks. This may include activities that are highly repetitive and require less skill such as data input. You can think about outsourcing highly specialized activities, such as website creation or graphic design, once you are pleased with the outcome. If you have already planned to outsource some or all of your business needs, then compile all the company or individual details you want to work with. When it comes to outsourcing, it is a very important move, particularly if the firm is located in another country. Also, make sure that the team you work with is competent, trustworthy, and works on similar kinds of projects. It will make sure they are trustworthy enough to outsource the specifications of your project. Besides, despite any time gaps or cultural barriers, you can rest assured that they can get the work done on time. credits: https://entrepreneurialchef.com/outsourcing-benefits-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
BPO office expansions show signs of recovery amidst the pandemic
Leading the resurgence is the surge in demand for office space from the business process outsourcing or BPO sector. Strong takeup of the BPO sector pushed 381,000square meters worth of new office space deals, the consultancy firm reported, with 69% located in Metro Manila. The on-demand hub was Iloilo, beating Cebu and Clark. The IT-BPM industry accounted for 48% of the new leases, which helped offset the exodus of Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs, which Leechiu said has not taken up new commercial leases since March when the sector as part of the general lockdowns. In sum, 540,000 sqm of office space were vacated this year, the bulk of which were in Metro Manila where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected. Of these, 51% were POGO spaces. This translated to ₱1.4 billion in losses from office rent. source/credits: https://cnnphilippines.com/business/2020/12/15/Leechiu-Q4-briefing-office-space-retail-recovery.html
Risks and Advantages of Outsourcing Product Data Entry
In a world where the digital business framework is being embraced faster than ever and customer satisfaction is one of the top priorities of almost all companies, it is imperative that online stores keep their sites updated with all the latest products. Product data entry is an important task, which helps in increasing the overall conversion rate, but requires a manual workforce and is highly time-consuming. As technology keeps changing continuously, more product designs being created, and companies coming up with different products and ideas, products and product information should be updated on an e-commerce site from time to time. However, it can be difficult for businesses to regularly update their e-commerce sites and manage their other functionalities. Therefore, outsourcing product data entry is a smart option. Why Should You Outsource Product Data Entry Services? When you upload data for several products on your e-commerce website, you need the assistance of a specialist who can seamlessly manage the entire process end-to-end. By doing this you can save time and energy by outsourcing the task to a professional service provider, rather than doing it all by yourself. The time that you save by outsourcing can be utilized to complete other important tasks of your business, which need your attention. Following are some of the reasons you should seriously think about outsourcing product data entry – A reliable product data entry service provider will be able to complete the task with far more accuracy than compared to anyone else who would perform the same task in your office. Besides, outsourcing data entry services for publishing product details on your e-commerce website is relatively cheaper than doing it in-house You can get access to certified and experienced data entry professionals at reasonable rates when you choose to outsource your requirements to an external service provider. Your chosen partner works just like your extended team, as per your instructions. Outsourcing product data entry services also guarantee expert management of your product data Once your focus is not on data handling anymore, you tend to have more time for performing core and critical tasks of your business. You can focus on customer loyalty and customer retention strategies. Product data entry service companies know the market they are working in, and hence handle product data in a sensitive and professional manner. They guarantee to keep your data safe by taking necessary precaution and effective security measures 4 Major Risks of Outsourcing Product Data Entry There are some companies who refrain from outsourcing product data entry jobs to other service providers due to certain risks associated with it. Let’s explore what could those risks be. Some of the major risks associated with e-commerce product data entry outsourcing include – The threat of product information being stolen or misused or the fear of sensitive product data being compromised is one of the biggest potential risk associated with outsourcing product data entry Not finding a reliable service provider who could provide high-quality product data entry services, within the desired timeline. This could lead to a dent in brand image in the eyes of customers Not having complete control over the product data entry process can be troublesome for some e-commerce firms when they outsource their tasks. Most companies fear a lack of authority and direction when a third-party service provider is doing the work High chances of miscommunication prevail when a service provider is from a different country like China or Japan. Language barriers exist, which could lead to wrong product information being uploaded 6 Pointers to Choosing the Right Service Provider for Product Data Entry Many leading companies use product data entry services for updating their e-commerce sites, and there are numerous data entry service providers who offer different types of services. Therefore, while outsourcing product data entry it is important to choose the right service provider in terms of reliability, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. Following are some important tips for choosing an outsourcing partner, which when considered will help businesses to avoid the risks associated with outsourcing product data entry – You must select a service provider based on the nature of your business, as well as the nature of the information that you can share with the service provider There are many risks involved in sharing sensitive product information with a third-party service provider. Ideally, in case of data entry of products on an e-commerce site, you can enquire and evaluate different software leveraged by the service provider and then choose the one that precisely caters to your product data entry needs Look into the ease of service when outsourcing product data entry services requirements. This will help you stay ahead of the game, handle site and technology well, and keep your customers happy Make sure that an expert in managing operations on your behalf, and is accurately updating your e-commerce site, with the right product specifications, images, and testimonials While outsourcing product data entry services it is essential to ensure that your service provider uses the latest technologies for updating product data and is not averse to new, innovative ideas and processes related to product data entry Start easily with a reliable service provider, and determine the scale of partnership by sharing the relevant amount of product data 4 Key Advantages of Outsourcing Product Data Entry While it is important to keep in mind the risks associated with outsourcing your product data entry requirements to a third-party service provider, you must not forget that the benefits of e-commerce product data entry outsourcing overshadow the risks associated with it. You will realize that it is a wise decision to have another company do this task for you. Take a look at what the advantages are. More time to concentrate on the core areas of your business. Make productive use of the time that you save by outsourcing, and increase productivity rates of your employees Efficient management of data is one of the major benefits of product data entry outsourcing. Outsourcing helps you to manage product data with more accuracy and flexibility with the support from experienced data entry professionals and specialists Cost-friendly service within a quick turnaround time is one of
Laguna Personnel Outsourcing and Tru29 inks a Strategic Partnership Deal
Laguna Personnel Outsourcing, a service contractor for remote/virtual personnel, back-office support since 2010, and Tru29 Solutions Inc., an Outsourcing Corporation designing outsourced solutions to meet the business needs of its clients today agreed and a handshake on a strategic partnership between the two organizations with a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement held at Tru29’s Corporate Office in One Corporate Center, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Philippines on 18-Nov-2020. The two businesses are respected and leaders in their domains and plan to jointly go-to-market strategy to offer complete outsourcing solutions from Business Processing, Knowledge Processing, Legal Processing, Front Office Facing Customer, and other outsourced solutions. This approach is aimed at simplifying and lowering outsourcing costs. One of the challenges of any business especially the SME’s looking for outsourced solutions is a low cost per hour or fixed-rate scheme with no minimum headcount requirement. In order to overcome this challenge, the two companies will work together and exchange information to reduce outsourcing costs to help SMEs, start-ups grow and optimize, grow their business scale fast. Tru29 Solutions Managing Director Brett Dela Paz commented: “The new strategic partnership will bundle and provide a one-stop solution for startups and SMEs.” “With the pandemic affecting a lot of SMEs and start-ups we see a tremendous need from the market for a low cost, low offering outsourced solution. Expect with this Strategic Partnership will have a positive impact on both organizations. Brett and I have known each other since 2005 and there is a great business, technical and personal synergy between us which will greatly contribute to the success of the partnership.” Mark Cuesta – Founder and CEO of Laguna Personel Outsourcing. About Tru29 Solutions Inc. Tru29 Solutions has broad experience in Front Office Solutions, Back Office Solutions, Knowledge Process Solutions, and even customized outsourcing solutions since its conceptualization in 2008. About Laguna Personnel Outsourcing LPO Philippines specialty is lead research/generation and back-office business processing since its birth in 2010. It all started with one desktop computer, a cheap noise-canceling headset, and an internet connection with a speed of a dial-up at home.
US President Joe Biden’s policy on outsourcing
What are US President Joe Biden’s plans and policies when it comes to outsourcing and offshoring? And how will they affect the US economy and the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector? Americans have decided: Joe Biden is the United States’ next president. While some are taking this time to celebrate – or commiserate, others are already looking into the global economic effects of Biden’s win. President Joe Biden’s outsourcing and offshoring policies During the campaign period, Biden attacked incumbent President Donald Trump’s current policies and apparent inactivity regarding offshoring. On his official website, Biden in September released his administration’s plans to fix America’s outsourcing policies. They have two “bold steps,” namely: Establishing a Biden Offshoring Tax Penalty and Biden “Made in America” Tax Credit, and closing the Trump Offshoring Loopholes; and Signing a series of executive actions to ensure that the federal government is using taxpayer dollars to Buy American products and supporting American supply chains. This means that: Biden’s Offshoring Tax Penalty is establishing a 28% corporate tax rate plus a 10% Offshoring Penalty surtax. This surtax will apply to call centers or companies located overseas but located in the United States. The Biden-Harris policy will reward those who invest in the United States. Joe Biden versus Donald Trump on outsourcing and offshoring Donald Trump, when newly elected to office in 2016, was strongly opposed to outsourcing. This is not an uncommon stance of most presidential candidates as there is a common popular perception that ‘outsourcing takes local (US) jobs’. As a Republican, Donald Trump vowed to ‘bring back jobs’, and to ‘make America Great again’. During his four-year term, Donald Trump’s approach to international trade was driven to a large extent by his belief that other countries are unfairly treating the United States. In that time, he has generally weakened existing international trade alliances, increased tariffs, and created an almost all-out trade war with China. Generally, he has had a deleterious effect on international trade, however, he has not directly focused on, or curtailed outsourcing, as he had initially promised. From the beginning, Donald Trump threatened to penalize American companies that outsourced, and increase taxation for those outsourcing to support this. However, nothing of any material consequence had emerged over his term. In fact, Joe Biden is now vowing to pursue tax reforms designed to undo measures included in Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut legislation that he claims reduces the impetus for companies to bring jobs back to the US. In a US Democratic presidential campaign speech on 9 September 2020, Joe Biden went on the offensive over what he saw as President Donald Trump’s broken promises on reducing US outsourcing and offshoring. Biden said of Trump: “Offshoring, outsourcing, Buy American. These are areas where Donald Trump’s record has not been remotely matched by the reality”. Joe Biden, after winning the election, has promised to be more conciliatory than Trump, to once again unite the United States and try to reverse the current cultural and political polarisation. He is more politically seasoned and astute in diplomacy, and so is likely to try and repair global trade and international relations instead of destroying them. It seems that Biden is motivated to build a more harmonious globalized economy and international relations, however, that doesn’t mean that Biden is a fan of outsourcing – far from it. It is worth noting that Joe Biden has not spoken about the issue of outsourcing as much in his 2020 presidential campaign, but he is no stranger to the topic. Biden was considerably more outspoken about outsourcing during his term as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2008-2016 – and it is clear that he is no fan. The United States and the Philippine offshoring industry It is no secret that a large number of American companies outsource a part of their business functions to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies in the Philippines. America and the Philippines have a longstanding political, cultural, and trade alliance dating back many decades. One indirect result is that the Asian-based Philippines has a uniquely English-speaking disposition. Despite their Southeast Asian appearances, Filipinos largely speak in American-English, do business in English and eagerly consume and align themselves with American-English culture: Netflix, YouTube, NBA, Pizza, and so on. America’s enterprises started outsourcing its backend functions to the Philippines almost 30 years ago. The country’s BPO industry has since blossomed and now employs 1.3 million highly educated white-collar workers, ranging from call center agents and bookkeepers to engineers and telehealthcare providers, to data scientists and developers. The above-mentioned policies, it is likely to negatively affect the Philippines’ outsourcing industry in the short to medium term. As American companies struggle to come to terms with COVID-19’s economic catastrophe, they need all the help they can get to cut costs and seek operational efficiencies – just to survive. If the opportunity of cost-efficient offshore staffing is taken away from these struggling businesses, then it will further damage their chances of repair and regrowth. In short, prohibiting or taking more taxes from companies that outsource may result in the closure of operations, and further determination of the economy, which will only add to America’s problems. We’re hoping that the Biden-Harris administration is not blind to the downsides of a Trump-Esque ‘America only’ approach to international trade policy. The world is more efficient if it acts as one giant marketplace with limited taxes tariffs and friction, instead of small independent isolated silos. The world and all of its citizens stand to benefit from increased and fairer trade with other countries, so we can only hope that Biden is cognizant of the far-reaching negative consequences of abruptly “ending” outsourcing for the US companies, employees, and communities that greatly benefit from it. Joe Biden on the Philippines Asia more generally, is seen to benefit from Joe Biden’s presidency due to the likely de-escalation of Donald Trump’s ‘trade war’ threats and posturing. For the Philippines, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said that the country can benefit from Biden’s push for the institution of additional US government spending. The newly-elected president’s preference for renewable power is also seen to positively affect the
