THE country’s information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry is targeting nearly $45 billion in revenue next year even as employment growth slows-a change toward higher-value work that requires fewer but more capable workers.
The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) expects industry revenue to reach $42.3 billion this year and about $44.9 billion in 2027.
Employment, meanwhile, is projected to rise to 1.94 million full-time workers this year and nearly 2 million next year.
According to IBPAP President and CEO Jack Madrid, the widening gap between revenue and employment growth is partly being driven by artificial intelligence (AI) augmenting the value of work performed by Filipino IT-BPM professionals.
‘The value of the work is the same-if not higher-but requiring less people to do it,’ Madrid said during a press conference at the International IT-BPM Summit 2026 in Parañaque on Thursday.
Automation’s potential impact was illustrated by saying that work previously requiring 100 people could, hypothetically, be completed by 70 workers through greater use of it. Meaning, the industry can continue increasing revenue without adding workers at the same pace.
For the IBPAP chief, however, slower employment growth does not mean the industry needs fewer people overall. Instead, the constraint is whether the country can supply workers with the capabilities needed for more complex and technology-driven work.
‘Now, do we want more? Yes, we want more. What’s the constraint? Capability,’ Madrid explained. ‘What’s the solution to that? Let’s all be better at what we do. Domain expertise, AI fluency, accept that we must learn continuously. That’s the equation.’
Based on the industry’s revised medium-term outlook released in July, IBPAP now projects 2028 revenue of between $43.3 billion and $50.5 billion, with employment ranging from 1.85 million to 2.14 million full-time workers.
The new projection replaces its 2022 roadmap, which had targeted $58.9 billion in revenue and 2.5 million workers by 2028.
Whether the Philippines can reach the upper end of its 2028 revenue range, Madrid said the industry’s ability to meet demand for skilled workers will be the biggest factor determining it.
‘I think being able to meet the demand for talent, I think, is probably the number one factor,’ he said.
The second major concern is the ease of doing business, particularly uncertainty and inconsistency that could affect investment decisions, Madrid said.
‘Investors do not like uncertainty. They do not like inconsistency,’ he said, adding that the Philippines still has areas in its business environment that need to be addressed.
Infrastructure remains another consideration, although Madrid said the industry’s expansion beyond Metro Manila and Cebu indicates that digital and physical infrastructure is improving in emerging IT-BPM locations.