Examining the Influence of Offshore Service Jobs on Personal Circumstances and Employability

This study empirically examines how personal circumstances influence BPO job choice and have implications for workers’ future employability. In this paper we focus on the experiences of more than 400 current and former BPO workers in the Philippines. Based on survey and interview data, the results suggest that young workers without dependents tend to join the BPO because of peer influence and ease of entry while workers with dependents are driven by the need to manage their household responsibilities and by perceptions that they
are unemployable elsewhere in the labor market. While current research indicates high levels of attrition in the BPO, this study offers new findings to suggest that workers are choosing to stay and are maximizing their employability in the BPO because of lack of alternative job options in the labor market.