The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said the achievement of the revenue and employee generation forecasts by 2028 will largely be dictated by the shift of the domestic industry to higher-value capabilities and AI-enabled talent instead of capacity goals.
The IBPAP has projected USD43.3 billion and USD50.5 billion in revenues and between 1.85 million and 2.14 million full-time employees (FTEs) by 2028.
“This outlook is ambitious, but achievable,” said Jack Madrid, president and CEO of IBPAP. “Success will depend on how quickly we invest in talent, embrace AI responsibly, and deepen collaboration between industry, government, and academe. “For years, our industry has measured success by how many people we could employ. The next chapter will increasingly be defined by the value every Digital Filipino Worker (DFW) creates. That is the shift from capacity to capability,” said Madrid.
To achieve these targets, the industry is placing talent transformation at the center of its strategy. At the heart of this is the AI-Enabled DFW, combining AI fluency, deep domain expertise, and distinctly human capabilities such as judgement, critical thinking, empathy, and leadership. As the sector shifts toward higher-value work, revenue per DFW will increasingly become an important measure of competitiveness.
Reaching the upper end of the projected range will require deliberate action in talent development, targeted expansion into higher-value segments, and sustained collaboration across industry, government, and academe. Without these, the industry will be unable to maintain its growth momentum.
This transformation builds years of sustained industry investment in upskilling, now expanded through initiatives including Project UNLAD with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the AI Tech Academy in Cebu with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and Byte The Gap with the Department of Education (DepEd). These programs, offered at no cost to employees through the support of industry and government partners, equip Filipino professionals with the capabilities needed to thrive in an AI-enabled workplace.
Complementing these workforce initiatives is continued growth across higher-value service segments. Global capability centers (GCCs), healthcare, banking and financial services, and emerging markets are expected to drive the industry’s continued expansion through 2028.
As demand for AI-enabled and specialized services grows, the Philippines continues to win higher-value work in analytics, engineering, finance, healthcare information management, and digital services, reinforcing the country’s position as a trusted destination for complex, knowledge-intensive work.
“Growth of this scale requires an ecosystem that enables innovation, investment, and talent development. We will continue working closely with government, academe, and industry partners to create an environment where businesses can invest with confidence and Filipino talent can thrive in the global digital economy,” said Celeste Ilagan, Chief Operating Officer of IBPAP.
As the industry pivots from capacity to capability, the 2028 industry outlook sets the direction for the next phase of Philippine IT-BPM growth, one defined by higher-value work, AI-enabled talent, and a stronger position in the global digital economy.
