EY GLOBAL Delivery Services (EY GDS) Philippines said it expects to raise its headcount to 10,000 in the next three to five years, citing growing demand for global services.
“We’re really happy with our growth to close to 6,000 today, but we’re also looking forward to our future growth from where we are to about 10,000 in three to five years,” Denchu Jose Decino, EY GDS Philippines location leader and EY GDS enablement services talent services leader, said at a briefing on Thursday.
“There’s a lot of disruption; we want to be there to advise our clients,” he added.
EY GDS provides Ernest & Young (EY) member firms with services like consulting, tax practice, assurance. The group also includes strategy consulting firm EY-Parthenon.
EY GDS works across finance, business development, technology, talent, procurement, and risk management functions.
“The overall push is to really double our impact across all of our service lines… and being a technology powerhouse within the EY network, leverage technology and AI (artificial intelligence),” Mr. Decino said.
The company is also looking to further integrate sustainability practices in its operations, as well in advising its clients on sustainability-driven initiatives, he added.
The growth of EY GDS is driven by the skilled Philippine talent pool, EY GDS Philippines Consulting Leader Raymond Garret Go said.
“Our talent is world class, performing the same work as counterparts from high-cost countries,” he said. “Over the years, we’ve proven that we can take on really complex work.”
The company is also upskilling its employees to become AI natives, Mr. Go said.
“AI is a big part of what we do. We use AI to transform how we deliver our work to our clients, but we also run and deliver AI-related engagement and transformation programs for our clients as well,” he noted.
In 2023, EY GDS invested $1.4 billion globally on its EY.ai agentic platform, which helps companies with their digital transformation.
The World Economic Forum reported that 68% of Filipino workers would need to upskill by 2030 to meet evolving skills demand.
EY GDS is also looking to increase its employee headcount in Cebu with an upcoming office due to open by May, Mr. Decino said.
“We just closed the contract for our permanent space in Cebu… Part of this growth is a dual-city approach. We will continue to grow in Manila, but we will also be growing in Cebu.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz