THE DEATH AND TAXES OF TECH FOR 2026

The old adage 'nothing is certain except death and taxes' is going to be the banner statement in tech for 2026.

- By JAYVEE FERNANDEZ

I'm referring to the death of jobs in the BPO sector and the huge "AI tax" on consumer electronics due to the overall increase in demand for RAM for data centers.Since 2024, I've been covering the BPOsector from a macroscrope. The motherhood statement by Jimmy Go, President and CEO of VST ECS was that globally, AI is poised to replace 85 million jobs. But it will also create 70 million jobs. I asked myself where does the Philippines stand in the 15 million deficit. The answer came swiftly: Jack Madrid, President and CEO of IBPAP said that despite the revenue growth of the IT-BPM sector by roughly 8.8% since 2023, he admits that there is a skill gap, a reskilling issue that has contributed to the loss of several roles in the BPO sector. The Philippines has always had the competitive advantage of being an English as a first language country (at least compared to many of its ASEAN neighbors), giving it a head start when it comes to support desk roles. This may change. At a Concentrix event earlier this year I was made witness t