Over the past years, it has been noticeable that the number of outsourcing employees and freelancers in the Philippines has risen. Many online and remote work opportunities are coming into the country and are highly prioritized by many Filipinos. Being a Virtual Assistant is a flexible job, and you don’t need to go to the office; you have to work in the comfort of your home. Other than the fact that this work is flexible, you no longer need to go to the office and commute; as you may know, some areas in the country deal with heavy traffic, which is devastating.
As the world demands virtual assistants, the Philippines has become more prominent in the outsourcing industry. This is because Filipinos have a higher literacy rate, are fluent in English, are hard workers, are Polite, Flexible to the time difference, culturally adaptable, and the labor cost in the Philippines is lower than others.
One of the most well-known freelancing and remote work in the Philippines is Virtual Assistant. As the Pandemic hits, local work opportunities shift into virtual, so most clients hire virtual assistants. Even before the Pandemic, the country has grown so much in the outsourcing market. To know more about the reasons why the country has many virtual assistants, check them below.
Higher Literacy Rate
The Philippines has one of the higher Literacy rates compared to other countries in the world. It has a 96.2% literacy rate. Many employers ensure that what they are hiring can do basic skills like reading and writing with intellectual capacity. That is why many hire Filipinos because the country has a higher literacy rate.
Fluent in English
The Americana has colonized the Philippines, and they contributed to the country’s educational system. Since Filipinos’ second language is English and most clients speak English, many refer to Filipinos as the best choice due to their English speaking fluency.
Communication is essential to both employers and employees; that is why good communicators are one of their criteria. It is easy to give instructions and work details to Filipinos as they are good English communicators.
Hard Workers
Filipinos are hard workers. Filipinos are very industrious when it comes to their jobs, and they believe that a job opportunity is a blessing. As you might notice, many Filipinos excel in their jobs as they do their best when it comes to working.
Also, many Filipino workers are breadwinners; they work hard to support their families and provide for their basic needs. That is why when you give a challenging task to a Filipino, they will find a way to solve it or do it at their best since they value their work. Filipinos are not new to overtime work as they see it as an opportunity to get more income due to overtime pay. The hard work of Filipinos is known to any industry.
Polite
Filipinos are polite and submissive to their employers. They respect their boss and give them high regard. They are open to corrections, criticism, and improvements. They are also polite to their customers and even to co-employees. They respect those who have authority like their boos as one of the highly valued cultures of Filipinos is politeness.
They are also good at following company rules and policies to show respect to the authority. They are peace-loving as they try to avoid conflict between employers and aim for a win-win solution in every situation.
Flexible to Time Differences
No matter where the Filipino employers are or the time differences, Filipinos can adapt to it. As you may notice, there are so many online jobs that their clients are in Eastern Standard Time, which is the opposite of Philippine Time; however, they can manage to work late at night or early in the morning.
Moreover, the time difference won’t matter to Filipinos since as you email their lists of works, they will work differently on it no matter the time of the day. You can sleep at night knowing that your Filipino employee maintains your business operations if you are an employer. All you need to do is wake up and read daily reports since your Filipino employer has already done their work while you sleep.
Culturally Adaptable
Different countries have colonized the Philippines, and one of the characteristics of Filipino people is being adaptable to other cultures. As you can see, the country has many foreigners coming, and Filipinos are very friendly. The same character goes when you hire a Filipino. They can adjust to their boss, workmates, and customers no matter their sexual orientations, where they came from, their looks, and the culture they grew up in.
Low Labor Cost
Most employers like to hire Filipinos because of the low labor cost compared to other countries. Many small-scale businesses, companies, and entrepreneurs prefer hiring Filipino Virtual Assistant due to their low cost. They can save money if they hire Filipinos.
If you are an employer, you can hire an excellent virtual assistant with a salary of $350- $600 a month instead of $2000 if you hire an assistant in the US. Also, employees can save from paying too much on employees’ taxes and office costs.
IT Skills
Though the Philippines may not be technologically advanced, the country ranked 83rd out of 138 countries when talking about technological readiness. There is so many It workforce in the country, and information technology is part of the school curriculum, enabling many Filipinos to use computers essential in working as a virtual assistant since the job requires the usage of computers.
Takeaways
Many foreign employers hire Filipino virtual assistants since it can benefit them much. If you are an employer, you can save a lot of money if you hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant. It can also help Filipinos because the pay rate of Virtual Assistants is higher if they work in a local Filipino job. Aside from the salary differences, Filipinos are also competent when it comes to work since Filipinos are hardworking, flexible, polite, and adjust to other cultures.