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Michael Alan Hamlin
Michael Alan Hamlin is an international authority on building strong place, corporate, and personal brands. He is based in Manila, and has worked throughout North and Southeast Asia for over three decades.
Michael is also the managing director of TeamAsia, an award-winning strategic marketing communications firm that develops corporate brand strategies, creative concepts, and marketing and communications programs for its clients. He is the author of five books.
His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand, co-authored with Philip Kotler, Irving Rein, and Martin Stoller. He is also the author of The New Asian Corporation: Managing for the Future in Post-Crisis Asia and Asia’s Best: The Myth & Reality of Asia’s Most Successful Corporations, and co-author of Marketing Asian Places: Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States and Nations.
TeamAsia’s clients include CB Richard Ellis, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), EMC, Exist Global, Fluor, Globe Telecom, Google, Gurango Software Corporation, Headstrong, HTC, InterGen, Japan Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency, John Clements, League of Corporate Foundations, Nestle, Microsoft, MediCall, Morph Labs, National Organizing Committee for the 12th ASEAN Summit, Philippine Association of Securities Brokers and Dealers, Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, Thomson Reuters, Sara Lee, Seagate, Soluziona, and many other corporations.
Michael has authored many articles in international and Asian publications on branding, business, and management. His commentaries have been published on the editorial page of the The Wall Street Journal Asia. He is a weekly columnist for the Manila Bulletin and a monthly columnist for ComputerWorld Philippines. His perspectives are frequently quoted in regional and international publications such as the Journal and BusinessWeek.
His professional associations include the American Society of Journalists and Authors, The Authors Guild, the Foreign Correspondents Club (HK), International Association of Business Communicators, Management Association of the Philippines, American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, and the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines. He is a director of Outsource2Philippines, Inc., and founder of the Hong Kong-based blog, AsianPundit. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Studies from Jochi Daigaku (Sophia University) in Tokyo, Japan, and a Master in Liberal Studies degree from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma.
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Major, major
Michael Alan Hamlin
Fourth runner-up in this year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant Venus Raj saw her chances for the crown dramatically dissolve when she nervously responded to a question posed by US Actor William Baldwin last week. Mr. Baldwin asked the petite 22-year-old what her biggest mistake was in life, and she responded before a global audience, “In my 22 years of existence, I can safely say there’s nothing major, major problem I’ve done in my life.”
But that wasn’t the only global stage the Philippines performed upon last week. In a far more serious test, the Philippines profoundly embarrassed itself before the world by botching a hostage crisis also broadcast live around the world. Bizarrely, multiple government spokespersons rushed to characterize the fiasco as nothing major, major strategically. And as in the case of Ms. Raj, the collective jaws of viewers dropped worldwide in response.
Ms. Raj’s error was likely viewed by many as a stunning shortcoming with comedic highlights. Not so in the case of the Philippine government’s inept response to the hostage crisis. As members of the ill-trained, inadequately-equipped force responsible for the poorly executed siege of a tourist bus in which eight Hong Kong residents died proudly posed for photographs at the contaminated crime scene, the world reacted with a mixture of fury and disbelief.
The fury was not motivated by the deaths of the hostage-as senseless and tragic as they were-but by government officials supervising the response to the crisis. Their apparent concern initially with preserving the life of a deranged, corrupt ex-cop over those of 22 foreign nationals visiting the country and held against their will was outrageous. The nonchalance of top officials added to the fury. Just how angry Hong Kong and China citizens are was demonstrated last Sunday, when close to 100,000 people took part in a protest against the Philippine government to demand justice for the victims of the crime, and punishment for those who allowed the tragedy to spiral out of control.
The perpetrator of the crime, dismissed Philippine National Police (PNP) Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was belatedly but rightly shot and killed by a PNP sniper, who bragged to television reporters about his accomplishment moments after dead and wounded hostages were pulled from the bus. Mr. Mendoza was a criminal who committed a horrific crime, but many in Hong Kong feel that the Philippine government acted criminally as well, and will seek to cover up its misdeeds in the same way its spokesmen sought to minimize the impact of PNP incompetence on international perception of the Philippines.
Government image handlers-if they can be called that-have seemingly worked hard at convincing themselves that people have short memories and that the senseless homicide of foreign guests won’t matter much for long. That perspective-and communicating it with relentless frequency-is as much a disservice to Filipinos and foreign tourists as the initial, cavalier attitude towards the hostages and their lives.
It also reveals little concern over the immediate impact, which is being manifest in unusually high cancellations of airline and hotel reservations across the country, a sharp drop off in international delegates to conferences and meetings, and disappointment among investors and multinational executives in the Philippines who must struggle to explain why the PNP and top government officials so amazingly mishandled what should have been a quickly resolved crisis.
If the PNP and government officials continue to downplay the consequences of their actions-or inaction-and whitewash an investigation into the bungling of the crisis, the crisis of its aftermath will only grow worse. Like Ms. Raj, the Philippines was on the cusp-once again-of making real progress towards achieving great things. It is not an exaggeration to say that Monday evening saw that promise severely eclipsed, and no one can truly say how long that will remain the case.
There are many meaningless ifs associated with this tragedy. If elite troops had been used or assistance from better equipped forces regionally been requested; if police had simply shot Mr. Mendoza at one of many opportunities; if President Benigno S. Aquino III had called Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang-or at least answered one of his two calls; and, if government spokesmen had clearly indicated that their concern was the hostages’ lives, not the number of visitors who will still arrive in the Philippines this year.
Government can’t make up for its shortcomings, which are historic. But it can come back to reality. Something major, major did happen. And something major, major didn’t happen that should have-common sense management of the crisis and its aftermath. It’s time to acknowledge those shortcomings, humbly admit that government failed its people and its guests in this case on multiple levels, and vow to never let it happen again.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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Posted
9/3/2010 3:49:44 PM |
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What happens when great minds leave?
Michael Alan Hamlin
According to a recent Gallup survey, about a quarter of all Filipino adults would live elsewhere permanently if they had the chance. Many of those who can already are. It’s been estimated that about 10% of the population is living in some 200 different countries. Filipinos have long dominated emigration to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the Middle East. But the largest recipient of the Philippine brain drain is the United States.
About 1.7 million Filipinos live in the United States, making Filipinos the second-largest immigrant group after immigrants from Mexico. Another 1.4 million native-born Americans claim Filipino ancestry. The answer to the question, “What happens when great minds leave?” is harsh: country competitiveness and economic opportunity declines. A recent Newsweek study ranking countries by attributes such as “education,” “economic dynamism,” “quality of life,” and “education” illustrates this effect.
Out of 100 countries, the Philippines ranked 63, just barely breaking into the top two-thirds of nations surveyed. In Asia, only Indonesia (73) and Vietnam (81) fared worse. China (59), Thailand (58), Malaysia (37), Singapore (20), South Korea (15), and Japan (9) were all ranked higher than the Philippines, and each of these countries placed in the top 10 in some categories. Among populous countries with high economic dynamism, for example, Japan ranked 3, China ranked 4, and Thailand ranked 9.
Thailand also ranked 4 in economic dynamism among low-income countries, despite sustained political turmoil in the first half of the year that left close to 100 people dead. Japan’s economy appears to be slipping back into recession -it grew just 0.4% in the quarter ending June 20-and is hobbled by national debt that has grown to twice its gross domestic product. Export growth has also slowed significantly. Developing China has slipped past Japan as the world’s second-largest economy.
These rankings can be viewed in two ways. First, they can be used to undermine the study. How can Japan, a country approaching a third lost economic decade, be considered economically dynamic? Thailand has seen investment and tourism suffer as a result of three months of political turmoil following the appointment of a civilian government that owes its position to a military that overthrew a popularly elected government-twice this century.
Or, they can be used to gauge the enormity of the Philippine challenge. The fact that the Philippines-with the oldest and smallest stock exchange in Asia, its status as the center of commerce and its capital a true global city long gone, and respected and rightly earned position as the heart of Asian education now dissipated-has fallen. If countries with the problems of Japan and Thailand can still rank in the top 10 in economic dynamism, what does that say about the level of the Philippines’ problems?
Despite its problems, Japan ranked number one in health, and Singapore placed 7th. Singapore and Japan also ranked high in education at 4 and 5, respectively. South Korea-another nation known for student and labor unrest-placed second in Education. Malaysia-although its educational infrastructure suffered from years not of neglect but of race-based seniority laws-placed 8th in Education among upper-middle income countries, having addressed a decades-old problem. And authoritarian-and tiny-Singapore ranked number one in the world in terms of economic dynamism.
These rankings provide another view of the survey results. It seems to me that although all of these countries have significant issues, they have managed to surmount them to varying degrees. Among the Asian countries that did better than the Philippines, all have managed to provide greater economic opportunity for their citizens compared to the Philippines. Even Thailand-with a GDP roughly equal to the Philippines in the 1980s-has left the Philippines behind.
In a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines last week, U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., suggested that the Philippines has a choice. That choice is to address the issues that hold the Philippines back-such as inconsistency of rules, lack of transparency, “and an investment regime that limits foreign investment and serves as a barrier to job growth.” Or to stay as it is, unable to generate opportunity for the vast majority of its people with the result that the most talented who can, go.
There is a choice, a choice that is not new. Hopefully, how that choice is responded to will be new under the current administration.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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Posted
8/27/2010 10:53:16 AM |
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"Irrepairable damage"
Michael Alan Hamlin
Supreme Court administrator and spokesperson Midas Marquez announced Friday that Chief Justice Renato Corona issued temporary restraining orders (TRO) blocking the implementation of a long-delayed toll rate increase for the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the levying of 12% value added tax (VAT) on the toll. The reason cited for the imposition of the TROs was “irreparable damage to the public.”
I tweeted soon after the announcement that the move would have a chilling effect on the investor community, which President Benigno S. Aquino III has said he wants to assure that everything works in the Philippines. Mr. Aquino wants to improve the Philippines’ dismal record attracting foreign investment when compared to its Asian neighbors. Indeed, it’s fair to ask whether the Chief Justice considered the damage already done to the Southern Luzon Tollway Corporation (SLTC), the SLEx operator. SLTC is contractually authorized but has been repeatedly inhibited by nervous government officials from raising toll rates, and for a while, from collecting them at all.
As a result, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB)-which forged the agreement with SLEC-says the developer has foregone P230 million in toll collections following completion of the rehabilitated-or rather, rebuilt-highway. It’s not just the potentially irreparable damage to SLTC that is at issue here. In the event that the Supreme Court extends the TRO prohibiting the increase-or worse, suspends the contract authorizing the increase-irreparable damage will result to the Aquino Administration’s efforts to resuscitate the Philippines’ tarnished country brand in the perception of investors.
Incidentally, the toll rate increase is intended to provide a 17% return to the SLEX developer. It can be reasonably argued that 17% is somewhat steep for a return on a public road project, and that 12% would be fair. However, the agreement was made in good faith at a time when the Philippines could not-and it still cannot-afford to shoulder the capital outlay required to rebuild the highway. The higher promised return was apparently offered-and accepted-to encourage the SLEX developer to agree to work with the Philippine government, which has struggled to attract infrastructure investments.
So far, SLTC has fulfilled its obligations, investing P11 billion financed by Malaysia’s MTD Capital Berhad to rebuild SLEx. Critics claim that the costs are exorbitant, but no independent evaluation of the investment has been made. SLTC says it can justify costs. In the meantime, motorists continue to enjoy use of a world-class highway for which government has paid nothing and the motorists themselves pay a fraction of its cost.
As a result of the difficulty implementing the toll hike to which it is entitled, the SLEx developer has stopped work extending the highway to Lucena in Quezon, whose residents would greatly benefit from modern transportation infrastructure. SLTC president Isaac S. David cited the delay in implementation of the toll rate increase as the reason. Who can blame him? If government consistently refuses to comply with its contractual obligations, it would be madness to continue building an expensive, new highway for that government.
Populist politicians are celebrating the Chief Justice’s action, and lobbying the court to suspend TRB’s agreement with SLTC. If they are successful, it’s appropriate to ask who the real, long-term losers are. Sure, motorists will continue to enjoy faster travel times on the rebuilt SLEx, and the investor will pay the price for believing that a government agency would-or could-live up to an agreement freely entered into that was meant to-and has-benefited the people.
But who is going to build that road to Lucena? And how about other infrastructure projects that the Philippine government can’t afford, but the people desperately require to enhance their quality of life and the capacity to earn an income? Then there is the matter of investors who require world-class infrastructure to operate their businesses. How will they be persuaded to create jobs in the Philippines sans the basic requisites of doing business here?
The answers to these questions are stark. The infrastructure won’t get built, farmers in Lucena and other provincial areas will struggle to get their produce to market, and significant numbers of potential jobs will go unrealized. So who are the irreparably damaged in this scenario? Investors will go elsewhere. Government agencies will continue to regulate, if not sign apparently meaningless contracts, and Filipinos will continue to largely go without the infrastructure that their neighbors enjoy.
That’s quite a price to pay for the short-term palliative that reneging on a deal provides.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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Posted
8/18/2010 5:30:47 PM |
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Can the Philippines become the new regional center for MNCs?
Michael Alan Hamlin
Multinational corporations have located shared services facilities in the Philippines for three reasons, according to a recent study conducted by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and Hewitt Associates. The number one reason is the talent profile, as survey after survey on the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry tells us. People are at the core of the Philippines’ success.
Incidentally, shared services is a subset of the BPO industry, although many of these firms prefer not to be lumped into the BPO category. Instead, they emphasize that their staff located in the Philippines are an extension of their head offices, noting that employees work directly for the company in full-time positions. They typically report to executives based not in the Philippines but in their world headquarters-except in cases in which global executives live and work in the Philippines.
That’s a development I reported last year. But the Hewitt study showed that about 70% of shared services executives in the Philippines report to C-level executives in company headquarters.
The second most frequent reason shared services executives participating in the Hewitt survey gave to explain their decision to locate in the Philippines was infrastructure. By infrastructure, these executives are probably referring to telecom and data infrastructure, which by all accounts is world class in terms of supporting the operations of the BPO industry. However, during the BPAP-Outsource2Philippines CEO Briefing last week, executives also raised the issue of broadband penetration to private residences.
One executive explained that while he was pleased with the quality of telecom infrastructure supporting his operations, he was considerably less than pleased with the availability of broadband to support the Philippines’ estimated 25-35 million Internet users, about half a million of whom work directly in the BPO industry. “We need to be able to communicate with our employees,” the executive said, “and the current state of broadband penetration and reliability” to private residences “doesn’t cut it.”
Telecom executives present for the Briefing quickly vowed to address the issue, and thanked executives for the feedback. I’m not sure that the link between employee access to high-speed Internet and the capacity of a telecoms provider to support the BPO industry was clear before. If not, it certainly is now. That’s a message that telecom executives and government regulators should take to heart: Employers want their employees to have access to broadband for business purposes.
The third reason shared services executives chose the Philippines over competing locations for their investment was the favorable business environment. That environment looks to improve even further. At the same briefing last week, Trade & Industry secretary Gregory L. Domingo told executives, “Government will not interfere” as the industry continues to grow and expand. In fact, he said, “Our role is to remove any obstacles” to growth. Mr. Domingo is already at work delivering on that promise, improving the efficiency of government services with a commitment to provide “good governance across the board.”
Good thing. Competitors for shared services investment are formidable, and include India, Poland, China, Malaysia, and Singapore. There are significant numbers of jobs at stake. Some shared services facilities here have grown to 10,000 employees and more. So far, about 60% of the executives say their companies will continue to scale their operations and add more processes. About 30% will add entirely new functions, and 13% plan to service more locations in their corporate network.
One shared services executive, Guy Mills, senior vice president and general manager for global sourcing at Manulife Financial, believes that the momentum the Philippines has established attracting shared services to the Philippines presents a huge opportunity for the country. Mr. Mills noted that “post 2008 financial crisis, even more MNCs are looking to Asia for growth.”
He suggests that an increased focus on Asia by MNCs means more professional services jobs in the region, including finance and accounting, marketing and communications, legal and compliance, and human resources. Typically, MNCs have located their headquarters in developed urban areas such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and more recently Shanghai. But Mr. Mills asks if that really makes sense.
Hewitt principal Rakesh Malik agreed with Mr. Mills’ assessment that, “Manila is well positioned to siphon-off high-value head office jobs from its wealthy neighbors. Manila has been a leading regional center before… and it can be again,” he concluded. One thing that stood out about the briefing, which included a panel of senior share services executives: These executives have worked in the industry for years, and believe passionately in the Philippines, its people, and their potential.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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Posted
8/11/2010 9:33:58 AM |
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BPO optimism
Michael Alan Hamlin
Companies in the Philippines’ Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector are increasingly optimistic that their businesses will grow substantially in the next 12 months according to the most recent industry survey conducted by Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and Outsource2Philippines (O2P). The survey also revealed that the shift to non-voice and more complex services continues to accelerate.
The results of the survey are being revealed today by BPAP and O2P in the second in a 2010 series of regular breakfast briefings for senior executives. As in the case of previous surveys, this one showed that industry has a strategic concern that could undermine an otherwise rosy outlook. That concern is people. As the industry grows, the shortfall in qualified personnel is becoming increasingly critical.
Much of the world remains mired in recession and economic uncertainty, but that appears to be benefitting the BPO industry as North America and EU clients pursue alternatives for lowering costs while maintaining or increasing services standards. For many smaller BPOs, a significant portion of their client base is closer to home in Asia, where economies are growing faster. They are benefitting from relative regional prosperity.
Industry executives are also upbeat over the improved political perspective of the Philippines. Respondents indicated that the smooth conduct of national elections in May was viewed positively by investors and clients, and over 80% said the smooth transition of power from the previous administration to that of Benigno S. Aquino III had a positive effect on investor perception. Only one percent said the transition had less than a somewhat positive effect on perception of the Philippines by investors.
Although the industry believes it enjoyed a cordial relationship with the administration of former president and now congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, respondents said they anticipate an even more productive relationship with Mr. Aquino’s government. That positive outlook may have something to do with the regulatory and incentive environment, which respondents view as good, but not necessarily competitive. They appear to be looking to Mr. Aquino’s administration for improvements.
But just how rosy is the outlook, and where do the opportunities lie? To be succinct, the positive perspective is almost profound, with 65% of respondents indicating their companies will grow between six percent and 50% in the next 12 months. Another 15% say their organizations will grow even faster across a range of sectors. Virtually every value-added sector is growing, including IT services, marketing services, engineering services, value-added back-office processes, content services, and medical knowledge process outsourcing services.
Executives will probably be quick to caution that things could still go wrong, nevertheless. Although not a topic of the current survey, competition is on the rise, for one thing. When I asked a prominent investor in financial shared services last week about competition for investment, he cited Central and South America-specifically Costa Rica-Egypt, and some eastern European nations, particularly Poland. He also said China is a threat. Increasing competition is the top one, two, or three concern for about 40% of respondents.
Increasing competition for investment suggests that the Philippines must ensure that its competitive positioning remains strong, signifying that the regulatory and incentive environment should indeed get the administration’s attention. The biggest threat, however, lies within the Philippines and is the people issue. There are two levels of concern. The first has to do with the availability of entry-level personnel, particularly as Philippine BPO moves up the value chain.
The tight labor market for these knowledge workers is the number one or two top risk area for almost half of respondents. Industry executives say it is imperative that they be able to hire more than the 5-10% of applicants that is presently the norm if the industry is to continue growing rapidly. While the availability of qualified workers has been a chronic issue for the industry, the latest survey indicates that concern is intensifying.
Developing and retaining middle managers is the second level of concern. More than half of respondents-58%-say this is the number one, two or three most important development issue affecting their capacity to grow. As in the case of entry-level workers, concern over the capacity to develop and retain middle managers appears to be intensifying. This concern will only accelerate as the shift to non-voice, complex services accelerates further.
The BPO and shared services industry is in many respects an economic development miracle. It developed because conditions were positive for growth: good infrastructure, good people, and a reform-minded government that desperately wanted to create jobs. It can continue to be a miracle, but for that to happen both industry and government must work together to address these concerns-while they are addressable.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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8/4/2010 3:33:50 PM |
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Dream a little
Michael Alan Hamlin
With an approval rating of 85%, President Benigno C. Aquino III enjoyed a historic level of goodwill as he approached the rostrum Monday afternoon to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) as the 15th president of the Philippines. His speechwriters and handlers must have agonized over the approach the much-anticipated address should take. Yet the choice had to have been clear: Manage the high expectations of an adoring nation; or, inspire the nation.
In the end, the decision was to manage expectations, despite the president’s assertion that, “We can dream again.” Mr. Aquino bared a litany of anomalies to illustrate why government coffers are empty, suggesting that scarce financial resources limit his administration’s options for improving long-neglected education, infrastructure, and social services. Then Mr. Aquino deftly transferred the burden of filling the financial gap to the private sector, along with a large measure of accountability for the nation’s future.
The president did make some promises to deliver welcome reforms, including increased fiscal responsibility, rationalized investment incentives, anti-trust legislation, amendments to government procurement legislation and rules and regulations, a new national defense act, land use legislation, and a strong whistle-blowers protection law. However, these promises were significantly unaccompanied by measures to provide a gauge of the administration’s ultimate success.
Reactions to the SONA varied widely, but largely reflected the enormous goodwill Mr. Aquino presently enjoys. Business groups vowed support, opposition politicians shrugged their shoulders, militants and activists complained about the lack of specifics-especially with respect to agrarian reform and freedom of information-middle-class professionals fretted about the dearth of specifics but welcomed the prospect of good governance, and the masses that speak Tagalog smiled because they understood what their president was saying.
While Filipinos may be able to dream again, Mr. Aquino revealed little about his own dreams for the future prosperity of his nation. His high trust ratings in a Pulse Asia survey released Monday provide some insight that might have been useful to his speechwriters as they helped their boss prepare to face his self-proclaimed boss-the Philippine nation. According to the results of that Pulse Asia survey, Filipinos are pretty certain about what they expect from their president.
Mr. Aquino decried mismanagement of the economy and government resources, but as horrified as his audience was as the president enumerated the excesses of the past administration, only 13% of Pulse Asia survey respondents said fighting corruption is a top issue to address in the next six months. Twenty-two percent were concerned with the price of basic commodities. The top priority was jobs, with 36% indicating that job generation is the top issue for the administration.
That part the president seemed to get, reminding his audience that job creation “is foremost on our agenda,” if not in his speech. Mr. Aquino acknowledged that the capacity to create jobs is dependent on strong, expanding businesses, and many of the ills Mr. Aquino addressed will in fact contribute to job creation. Investor surveys typically point to government corruption and cumbersome bureaucracy, poor country brand image, and competition for investment as significant hurdles to job-generating foreign investment.
In the fast-growing business process outsourcing industry, another impediment is emerging: the lack of qualified workers with strong English and analytical skills. That concern makes paying attention to education blazingly important, although survey respondents don’t make the connection-only six percent of respondents considered education a priority. That’s likely because improving education is a strategic initiative, and it will take decades to rehabilitate the Philippines’ creaking educational infrastructure.
In the meantime, the administration has little choice but to address other short-term issues to increase the attractiveness of the Philippines to investors. Those programs can include incentivizing domestic and foreign educational institutions to provide remedial programs for undereducated Filipinos of productive age. The bottom line is that Filipinos want to work, and they are looking to Mr. Aquino to create or at least nurture conditions that will increase the rate and efficiency of job creation. That involves making more Filipinos qualified to work in industries that are creating jobs.
“We can dream again, ” but how well the administration does making Filipinos’ dreams of jobs come true will determine whether Mr. Aquino’s second SONA is as warmly received as his remarks were Monday. For the president and his advisors, one thing seems clear. Managing expectations is fine, inspiring a nation to attain the skills necessary to make their dreams come true is quite another.
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of TeamAsia and a Manila-based author. His latest book is High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand . Write him at mahamlin@teamasia.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.). Copyright © 2010 Michael Alan Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.)
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7/28/2010 5:41:42 PM |
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