PH Global Capability Centers Poised to Employ 289,000 by 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The workforce at the Philippine global capability center (GCC) is expected to grow to around 289,000 professionals this year as multinational companies expand their presence in higher-value, technology-driven services. According to a white paper by Colliers, the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and ZMG Ward Howell, around 270,000 professionals will be employed by roughly 200 GCCs in 2025, marking an increase. READ: PH climbs in World Competitiveness Ranking Everest Group ranks the Philippines as the world’s second-largest GCC delivery location. The expansion comes as global companies increasingly use GCCs for strategic functions instead of traditional outsourcing alone.These include finance and accounting, risk and compliance, data and analytics, cybersecurity, engineering, healthcare and digital operations. “The Philippines has moved beyond being primarily a cost-efficient services destination,” Kevin Jara, director and head of office services – tenant representation at Colliers Philippines, said. Jara said multinational companies were increasingly locating “strategic and enterprise-critical functions” in the country due to its talent pool, office markets and mature business ecosystem. The global GCC market will grow from about $100 billion in 2024 to $155 billion by 2027, creating significant opportunities. But competition for specialized talent could challenge further expansion. ZMG Ward Howell found that business analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) roles were generally among the hardest to hire for. ML and AI engineers, in particular, had the lowest candidate-to-job ratio across locations, making them the hardest roles to fill. The report said hiring difficulties in some areas could point to a qualification gap rather than simply a shortage of workers. This comes as AI adoption gains ground among GCCs. About half of Philippine GCCs were already experimenting with or deploying generative AI in production as of 2025. The report, however, sees the more viable model as “human-plus-AI” delivery, where technology augments professional capabilities instead of replacing workers. READ: Architecture in the age of AI: Technology with a human purpose To support further growth, the report urged the government, industry, and academe to expand training in data analytics, cybersecurity, cloud, AI, healthcare technology, finance transformation, risk and compliance, and other specialized fields. Office infrastructure will also be critical. Metro Manila remains the main entry point for GCCs. Still, Colliers expects Tier 1 provincial locations to play a larger role as companies pursue geographic diversification, business continuity, and lower operating costs. The broader IT-BPM industry employed 1.89 million professionals and generated $40.3 billion in revenues in 2025. /pai