GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 3 | APRIL 2024
Multinational business services organization PwC has announced that its planned Global Acceleration Center project in the Philippines is set to create at least 5,000 new jobs within three to four years. This is expected to generate approximately PHP 2 billion (US$34.7 million). The project will focus on high-value BPO sectors such as AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Also in the Philippines, US-based BPO firm Afni has expanded its presence by opening a new site in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The office began hiring in December 2023 and aims to fill 3,000 positions by the end of 2024. Afni’s expansion boosts the city as an ICT hub of Southern Luzon and aligns with the Philippine government’s goals for regional growth.
Continuing with the expansion news, global property consultancy firm Knight Frank has drawn the spotlight on India’s growing role in the global offshoring industry. The firm reported that 46% of Indian office space was leased by the offshoring market in 2023. The country saw a leasing volume of 27.3 million square feet, an increase of 26% from 2022, which speaks to the scale at which the offshoring industry is expanding – in both India and around the globe.
Australian call center operator, OracleCMS, was targeted by ransomware operator LockBit in early April. The hack has since resulted in a data leak, which affected thousands of individuals and organizations, including local councils, law firms, real estate agents, and aged-care services. LockBit published over 60 gigabytes of data, ranging from mundane phone numbers and work emails to detailed spreadsheets with sensitive information such as parking meter locations and client contracts. OracleCMS has not yet commented on the incident.
L.L.Bean – an outdoor retail store headquartered in Maine, US – has announced layoffs of customer service workers. The layoffs come with reduced call center hours due to changing shopping habits, as more customers place orders online. The organization will be offering severance packages and retirement options to affected employees.
Cloud-based CRM platform Salesforce, headquartered in California, has debuted the availability of its Unified Conversations service for WhatsApp. The integration will allow businesses to enhance their marketing and service interactions through WhatsApp. The service consolidates conversation threads and uses Salesforce Data Cloud to deliver personalized experiences across platforms, providing suggested actions for marketing teams as well as recommendations for security and region enhancements.
According to a new report from Allied Market Research, the global payroll outsourcing market is set to reach $19.5 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.2%. The hybrid segment dominated the market in 2021, while the fully outsourced segment is expected to grow the most during the forecast period. Large businesses will exhibit the highest growth rate. Europe held the largest market share in 2021, while the Asia-Pacific region is projected to have the highest CAGR.
