Why outsource to the Philippines?
March 29 at 9:59 pm in Employer Tips, Philippines by Honey Amabelle D. Young (Admin) 8 Comments »
You have heard us recommend that you outsource your work to the Philippines. So, why the Philippines and why Filipinos?
I may not be the best person to write about this. No wait, on second thought, I think I am. Shameless promotion of my country, race, and trade aside, I seriously believe that the Philippines is the best country you can outsource your work to. And why do I think that? Let me count the ways…
- Filipinos are the best English-speakers in Southeast Asia – I even daresay that Filipinos are the best English-speakers in Asia. The Philippines was an American-administered territory from 1898 until 1946 and was the site of American air and naval installations until 1991. Because of this, the country is heavily influenced by the American culture and language. English is the primary language of instruction in schools. It is not difficult to find a Filipino that speaks very good English with little to no trace of a native accent.
- Most Filipinos are well-educated – College education in the Philippines is relatively cheap and since you can never find a decent job in the country unless you graduate with a degree, a lot of Filipino students go to and finish college. The educational standard in the Philippines is also competitive with other more developed countries and in fact, the country is seeing an influx of foreign students from neighboring Asian countries like Korea and China.
- Filipinos love to please other people - Sometimes, to a fault. Filipinos will put other people’s needs over their own. If they have a guest in their home, they will give the guest the best room, the best linen, never mind if they end up sleeping on the floor. Seriously. Filipinos are weird that way. Maybe that’s what our ancestors hammered into our subconscious. We reserve the best china for guests and use cheap, ordinary dinnerware the rest of the time. My point is, if you hire a Filipino, they will do what you ask them to do to the best of their abilities because they would want to please you.
- Filipinos are very loyal – Treat them well and you will have a worker who will be willing to work with you until they are no longer able to. Hiring a Filipino will lower your worker turnover.
- Filipinos are familiar with Western business practices – Business practices in the Philippines are very similar to Western business practices, it is almost eerie. However, being an American colony for almost 50 years, it is hardly surprising. And did I mention that our accounting and legal systems are similar to America’s as well?
- Filipinos have lower wages – I did save the best reason to hire a Filipino for last. Filipino wages are, on an average, only about 12% of American wages for the same area of practice. That in itself is reason enough why a lot of work is being outsourced to our country and perhaps, you should too.
Now, it’s time for my shameless promotion: Whenever you decide to outsource work, do think of Filipinos and the Philippines first.
The best reason to hire a filipino is because you can hire him very cheaply? That is just wrong. You are selling our intelligent, web-savvy brothers and sisters into online slavery. You should be fighting to have our countrymen get equal wages with the rest of the I.T. community around the world. But no, here you are, making money by helping filipinos get hired with only a fraction of the wage they are supposed to get. Shame on you.
@Juan dela Cruz:
Welcome to EasyOutsource. Like you, I am a Filipino online freelancer and proud to be one, at that. When I wrote this article, I based it on FACTS. Fact is, the reason why people from other parts of the world outsource to our country is a matter of economics. It is more economical for them to hire Filipinos than hiring people from their own country. It is a known fact that our wages are much cheaper than those in western countries as our cost of living is much lower than theirs. If we get or charge equal wages than Americans, why will Americans bother to outsource to us? Wouldn’t they rather hire fellow Americans and help alleviate their own economy in the process? What will happen to the millions of Filipinos who depend on outsourcing if this happens – call centers in particular?
I am not selling Filipinos short. It fact, the main reason I wrote this article is to point out the reasons why foreign employers SHOULD consider the Philippines when they outsource work. This is aimed to generate more jobs for fellow Filipinos, not promote online slavery. I understand your passion and pride at what you do. We are actually in the same boat. However, pride in our race should be tempered with realism and reality is that right now, wages in the Philippines are a lot lower than that of the US.
If promoting the Philippines to foreign employers, in the hopes that they will hire fellow Filipinos when they outsource work, is a disservice to our country, then you’re right. Shame on me.
@Juan dela Cruz:
I am one of the owners of EasyOutsource and I thought I would chime in on this.
First off, I completely understand your frustration with seeing that a primary reason to outsource to your country is lower wages. However, we at EasyOutsource cannot control international salaries. The cost of living in the Philippines is significantly lower than the cost of living in the United States, and as long as that is the case the wages will also be lower. Hopefully one day the Philippine economy will be strong enough that you are no longer dependent on foreign employers for higher salaries, but that will take many decades to accomplish. The modern Philippine economy is fairly young and still has a lot of developing to do before the value of the Peso will match the value of currencies in advanced economies like the United States. If labor wages there were the same as here, nobody would ever outsource… In the meantime, the relative lower wage allows Americans to hire labor at rates cheaper than we can get here, and allows you to get jobs that pay well relative to average salaries in the Philippines. The goal of EasyOutsource to help Filipinos get jobs and to help Americans build more efficient businesses. We genuinely want to improve the lives of everyone who uses our site.
I just joined the site after seeing it several times in the past 2 months, I have never outsourced (it’s just me), but I will be soon, I can’t do it alone. The thing about the profiles on the site is that people are willing to learn. I don’t need and can’t afford an expert, so to have a site where you can see experts and people willing to partner and learn with you is inspiring to me.
I don’t know you Michael and Honey, but the response that you left to a difficult and challenging post was great, even the turnaround was quick. In any situation, especially a touchy subject such as outsourcing and the Philippines , you can choose to look at the negative or try to use your own reality to make the best of the situation, which is what I feel this website is doing. Best of luck.
@Jewels:
Welcome to EasyOutsource! We are glad that you decided to join our site. We hope that you will find the right contractor to help you with your needs. Should you need any help, or if you have questions, don’t hesitate to message me or support and we will be very glad to help you out