Telus opens Iloilo site, plans to hire 800 employees

OUTSOURCING firm Telus International Philippines has launched its first site outside Metro Manila as it eyes hiring 800 employees at its new Iloilo office.

Carlos Giammattei, Telus Philippines marketing director, said at a virtual launch on Wednesday that the Iloilo City site now has over 350 trainees.

“Very soon, we will be at the 800 mark,” he said.

The company has a local work force of over 18,000 people working on customer experience, digital solutions, and information technology. The Iloilo City office is its seventh local site.

Mr. Giammattei said that the company is open to further expansions outside the capital.

“We are always looking for opportunities. Based on our business, based on our growth, and finding the right place where we wanna go is gonna be very critical in deciding when and where we (will) have our second site out of Metro Manila,” he said.

“We have expansion plans, but it all depends on the flow of business and what type of work is coming in.”

The company is still evaluating how much remote or on-site work it will retain in the long term as it assesses government regulations, customer needs, and employee concerns.

The outsourcing industry was allowed by the government to retain some on-site operations during the strictest part of the lockdown declared to arrest the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The country’s outsourcing revenue rose just 1.4% to $26.7 billion last year from the 2019 figure, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said.

To compare, the sector’s revenues jumped 7.1% in 2019, beating industry targets. — Jenina P. Ibañez