Digital interactive goods and service activities contributed more than P325 billion or over 20 percent of the country’s creative economy and provided 390,880 jobs in 2022.
The Board of Investments (BOI) stressed these government statistics at the launch of the “YOUth Can Make It Happen” Campaign which advocates promising opportunities for the youth in game development, which is part of digital goods and services.
Corazon Dichosa, BOI executive director, said at the opening at the Philippine Game Development Expo (PGDX) at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on August 18, game development’s great potential can be harnessed by replenishing the pool of qualified labor and consequently reduce the training costs of local companies.
The BOI pledged to help move the industry to higher levels of growth and achieve its roadmap targets by partnering with academic organizations to implement projects and programs that will pave the way to graduates’ employability and fulfill the needs of industries.
The partnership with the Commission on Higher Education strengthening industry-academe linkages resulted in the conduct of the National Skills Mapping and Survey on Human Resource Development Needs of the information technology-business process managementsector. Published in June 2022, the report underscored the concern about the readiness of talent entering the workforce in the game development industry.
The report confirmed the need for proactive government interventions to equip students with the necessary skills for the future. It emphasized the reskilling and upskilling of the industry workforce to remain competitive globally.
The BOI has also been coordinating with Department of Education to implement relevant initiatives through their upcoming collaboration program on “Kids for the Future of Philippine Industrialization” to support learners and educators in expanding their knowledge of industry trends, technologies, industry skills, and competency requirements and challenges, among others.
