SANSAN Global Development Center, Inc. targets to scale to more than 120 software developers at its office in Cebu in central Philippines.

“Since establishing the Sansan Global Development Center in Cebu in 2023, we have reached our initial target of hiring 70 software developers and are aiming to scale up to more than 120,” Jay Pegarido, director and country manager at Sansan Global Development Center, told BusinessWorld in an e-mail.

Sansan Global, part of Japanese cloud-based solution provider Sansan, Inc. is boosting its development capabilities to support global projects particularly in markets like Singapore and Thailand. The firm’s long-term objective is to position its Cebu office as a leading center for innovation and product development.

Sansan does not offer services in the Philippine market but has tapped the local talent to develop and enhance its products for international markets, particularly in Southeast Asia.

The expansion of the Cebu office shows the commitment of the firm to invest in the technology talent that the Philippines has to offer, Mr. Pegarido said.

“The Philippines boasts a strong educational infrastructure with a large number of information technology graduates each year, high English proficiency and a vibrant tech ecosystem,” he said.

But Mr. Pegarido cited challenges including the talent gap in areas such advanced data science, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

“There’s often a mismatch between the skills that graduates possess and those required by the industry, and Sansan addresses these challenges by investing in the training and development of our engineers,” he said.

The firm will continue to leverage the rich tech talent in the Philippines to drive global product development and innovation, as well as to support product development specifically tailored for the Japanese market, he added. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante