The Philippine IT-BPM industry could earn more by 2028 while employing fewer people under a slower-growth scenario, according to a preview of the Philippine IT-BPM Roadmap 2028. The industry says faster skills development and a shift to higher-value services could help create more jobs.
The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) presented the preview at the International IT-BPM Summit 2026, ahead of the roadmap’s full release in October. It lays out two possible paths for an industry that employed 1.89 million people in 2025.
Under the accelerated scenario, annual revenue could reach $50.5 billion and employment could increase to 2.14 million by 2028. That would mean $10.2 billion in additional revenue and 250,000 more jobs compared with 2025. Under slower growth, revenue could still reach $43.3 billion, but employment could slip to 1.85 million.
The difference puts pressure on companies to prepare workers for more complex tasks as AI changes the services clients buy. IBPAP expects growth in global capability centers, healthcare information management, banking, and financial services. It also sees opportunities in AI operations, model evaluation, data work, animation, and game development.
AI is already used in selected business functions, but adoption across entire companies remains limited. IBPAP cited gaps in worker skills, older systems that are difficult to connect with AI tools, poor data quality, security concerns, and uncertainty over returns on investment.
“We set out to prepare this industry for a future defined by AI and higher-value work, not simply continued headcount growth,” said Jack Madrid, outgoing president and CEO of IBPAP. “That direction is now firmly in place. The challenge for the next two years is to turn that strategy into capability at scale. The next chapter belongs to the AI-Enabled Digital Filipino Worker.”
IBPAP’s Enterprise-Based Education and Training framework, developed with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, has reached 25,500 learners through 164 programs at 24 companies. It has secured more than ₱100 million for industry training.
The association has also released a voluntary Ethical AI Use and Risk Governance Policy Framework covering data protection, worker transition, and responses to AI-related incidents.
“Responsible AI should not slow innovation,” said Celeste Ilagan, president and CEO-Designate and ESG Champion of IBPAP. “Our objective is to provide organizations with practical guidance that allows them to operationalize AI confidently while preserving the trust that the Philippine IT-BPM industry has earned from clients and partners around the world.”