The Information & Communications Technology industry in Negros Oriental has ballooned from only one company with 45 employees back in 2004, to over 30 companies giving jobs to 15,000 workers this year.
Suzanne Lu-Bascara, president of the ICT Association of Dumaguete & Negros Oriental, told the media on Wednesday this reflects how promising the industry is right now, considering the high demand.
She attributed the growth of the ICT industry here to certain factors like Dumaguete being a University Town, and the less expensive lifestyle and cost of living compared to more urban and more populated areas.
She said they have noted that more students sign up for jobs with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies immediately after graduation; while even non-graduates also land a job in the ICT sector.
Other employees also prefer to relocate to Dumaguete from other areas in the country due to the relatively peaceful environment here, and the more affordable lifestyle, Bascara said.
“The ICT industry in Negros Oriental continues to grow with bigger potential to compete with huge urban areas that are leaders in the ICT sector,” she added.
The current number of ICT employees in the Province does not even include the freelancers or those who directly work with clients here and abroad, she said.
Bascara cited at least a thriving ICT firm in Mindanao which employs at least 35 employees who are based here in Dumaguete.
Such an arrangement is possible owing to digital technology that allows individuals to work from home or work from anywhere, she said.
Due to the influx of these ICT sector workers, boarding houses and apartments have become a “hot item” in Metro Dumaguete.
Meanwhile, the Department of Information & Communications Technology is now focusing on talent development in the regions to provide “equal” or better opportunities for individuals to land employment in the ICT sector.
ICT Undersecretary Jocelyn Batapa-Sigue emphasized during the Regional ICT Summit & Exhibitions (RISE 7.2) that Dumaguete City has a lot of talent potential and could be the next “strong contender” in the ‘Next Wave City’ in the country, after Clark in Pampanga, Metro Manila, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Davao City, and Bacolod City.
The 2nd Central Visayas RISE was held Tuesday at the Negros Oriental Convention Center. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
