Funds sought to support home-based online jobs

Workshops aim to develop more ICT talents

The Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) has proposed a three-year budget of P40 million for a program that provides training to home-based online workers and other  potential ICT talents in the rural areas.

Emmy Lou V. Delfin, ICTO Next Wave Cities Program manager, said the Rural Impact Sourcing (RIS) program will help achieve inclusive growth in the country.

The program involves the conduct of workshops, which kicked off last year, that will equip beneficiaries with technical skills and guide them on how to start working at home.

So far, Delfin said they have conducted the workshops in 10 areas, including Puerto Princesa and Samar.

“We are focusing on the less developed cities and rural areas,” she said during the Cebu ICT/BPM Conference. ICTO, which is under the Department of Science and Technology, is the lead agency on ICT-related matters.

Justine Raagas, a representative of Upwork in the Philippines, said college graduates in the Philippines typically travel to the urban areas to find work.

Not only does this cause brain drain in local areas, but it also condenses the number of people looking for jobs in the metro cities, she said.

“Competition becomes stiff. There are not enough jobs for everyone,” she added.

Online work or freelancing can help increase access to job opportunities and increase the number of people who can find employment, she added.

The online work trend started in the late 2000s, with both local and international companies or clients sourcing high-value talents to do work for them.

Upwork is one platform that allows freelancers to connect with both international and local clients, set their own work hours, and discover projects that do not exist locally.

It has around 9 million registered freelancers, $1 billion worth of work done annually, 3 million jobs posted annually and 4 million registered clients.

“This is happening. This is available for everyone. Anyone can do it.  Home-based outsourcing will stay and can impact the lives of many people,” Raagas said.

However, Upwork and other online work and online freelancing platforms face challenges in terms of ensuring the protection and safety of client and freelancer.

Raagas also cited the need to reassure clients of the credibility of the work.

Olivia Briones, another Upwork representative in the Philippines, said clients and their job postings are screened thoroughly before being approved. Freelancers have the freedom to accept or decline jobs at their own discretion.

With regards to payment, she added that for fixed-rate jobs, Upwork serves as a “third party” body that keeps the money safe.

“In fixed-priced jobs, clients pay Upwork the price agreed upon and Upwork in turn pays the freelancers when the job is done,” she said.

Freelancers are also screened, to be able to ascertain if they do have the skill sets needed, but clients also have the power to choose the freelancers they want to hire.