The Influence of an Emerging Industry to Recent Dynamics of Social Class in the Philippines: The Case of Call Center Industry

This study examines the contemporary dynamism of labor in the global workflow as seen in a case in the Philippines, where continued economic growth h as b een occurring through an expansion of the transnational division of labor. This study focuses on the call center industry and the labor that runs one of the leading economies of the country. Recently, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which forms a part of the international division of labor, has grown remarkably in the Philippines with its workers regarded as no less than new modern day heroes. In particular, the call center industry accounts for 70% of the total sales of the BPO industry and employs approximately 630,000 people. However, despite this notable economic initiative, there lies a persistent image of call center workers, in the minds of many Filipinos, which portray the so-called heroes as unskilled or as non-specific labor. In fact, previous studies have regarded call center workers as subordinate or vulnerable in the era of globalization. They are viewed from an axis of “generality – particularity,” which sees them simply as a labor force that is comparable, exchangeable, and dispensable. This study, in presenting an alternative view, proposes a view based on an axis of “universality – singularity,” and perceives call center workers through their actual situations and motivations in terms of building a career. Based on the context and experience of every worker, it concludes that becoming a call center worker is a deliberate stepping stone for the next stage in the life cycle of the workers