TELUS Is Doubling Down on AI in the Philippines -- What It Means for 24,000 Workers and the Roles Coming Next

The meeting in Canada

During President Marcos' July 1-4 visit to Canada, his delegation met with TELUS Digital's VP and General Manager for AI and Data, Amith Nair. TELUS said it plans to deepen Philippine operations in AI-related services, healthcare support, software engineering, and workforce development.

The company has invested over $175.6 million in the Philippines since 2018 and currently employs more than 24,000 workers across nine sites in Metro Manila and Iloilo -- covering customer experience, technical support, financial services, back-office work, and AI-enabled services for global clients.

The honest caveat

No new investment figure was announced. No timeline was given. TELUS said future spending will 'depend on business operations.' Government officials framed the meeting as a strong signal; the company was more measured.

That said, TELUS showing up at a presidential-level meeting and using the language of 'higher-value work' and 'AI services' does point toward where they are heading. The question is how fast -- and which workers are ready when the roles open.

What 'higher-value work' looks like on the ground

TELUS currently runs customer experience, tech support, and back-office work in PH. An AI-services and software engineering expansion would mean new roles in AI data annotation, model testing, AI-assisted healthcare documentation, and software QA -- typically paying 20 to 40% more than entry-level BPO work.

DTI Secretary Roque also cited the CREATE MORE law as a driver of export-oriented AI investment, which affects how competitive PH remains vs. India and Vietnam for higher-value outsourced roles.

How to position yourself now

TELUS's direction matters even if you don't work for them -- it signals where the whole sector is heading. Three areas with near-term demand: AI data annotation, AI-assisted QA, and healthcare data management. Each has online training pathways completable in weeks, not years. If you are in a BPO or IT-BPM role today, one of these is worth starting this weekend.

Source: Newsbytes.PH: Telus to deepen PH investment in AI services, software engineering