The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry in Negros Oriental province has ballooned from only one company with 45 employees in 2004 to over 15,000 workers in over 30 companies in 2024.
Suzanne Lu-Bascara, president of the ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, told the Philippine News Agency that this reflects how promising the industry is right now considering the high demand.
She attributed the growth here to factors like Dumaguete City being a “university town” and a less expensive lifestyle compared to bigger and more populated areas.
Many students sign up for jobs with business process outsourcing (BPO) companies immediately after graduation, while non-graduates also land a job in the ICT sector.
Other employees relocate from other areas and come over to Dumaguete due to the peaceful environment and 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 freelancers or those working directly with clients abroad, she said.
Boarding houses are also a “hot-item” now because of the influx of these sector workers.
An ICT firm in Mindanao has 35 employees based in Dumaguete owing to digital technology that allows individuals to work from home or work from anywhere, Bascara said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Information and 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.
DICT Undersecretary Jocelyn Batapa-Sigue emphasized during the Regional ICT Summit and Exhibitions (RISE 7.2) Central Visayas held at the Negros Oriental convention center in this capital city on Tuesday that the agency is focusing on strengthening the regions to ramp up competitiveness in the market.
She said 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 province, Metro Manila, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Davao City, and Bacolod City. (PNA)