If you’re considering hiring a virtual assistant, the Philippines might be an offshore location you’ve heard about before, as it's considered one of the best offshore places to hire skilled and reliable virtual assistants. With their excellent English proficiency, cultural compatibility with Western businesses, and strong work ethic, Filipino virtual assistants can help you keep things from falling through the cracks. Hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines offers numerous benefits. From cost-effectiveness to a highly convenient work culture, you'll find that Filipino assistants can quickly become one of your business’s most valuable assets. In this article, we’ll share with you the top reasons why hiring a remote executive assistant from the Philippines can benefit your business. Ready to start taking things off your place? Keep on reading!

Overview of the Virtual Assistant Market in the Philippines

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The offshore virtual assistant market in the Philippines has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. This expansion is driven by the increasing global demand for cost-effective and skilled remote support expanding a variety of tasks. Organizations from all over the world are now looking at this country as a primary offshoring location for different types of projects, ranging from executive support to full-cycle software development. This is shown in the statistics about the Filipino talent pool. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, over 700,000 Filipinos are employed in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, which includes virtual assistants. 

The increased use of marketplace platforms has further fueled the outsourcing market's growth. Sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and OnlineJobs.ph have made it easier for businesses worldwide to connect with virtual assistants in the Philippines for an affordable price. Now, while these platforms are a quick way to get started if you want to hire a Filipino EA, what really finished solidifying the local virtual assistant industry were the many VA agencies that started offering great talent at a very reasonable cost - only slightly higher than what you could find someone on Upwork for. 

Another factor contributing to the accelerated growth of the Filipino virtual assistant market is the country's ever-improving infrastructure. In recent years, the Philippines’ government has made substantial investments in its internet and telecommunication networks. The country’s average internet speed has greatly improved compared to what it once was, with Ookla reporting an average download speed of 25.98 Mbps as of 2023. While this is not ultra-high speed by any means, having reliable connectivity has allowed local talent to work with clients from the other end of the world at any given time. 

By now, the virtual assistant market in the Philippines has become well-established and is fortunately continuously evolving for the better. With a large pool of educated professionals, reliable infrastructure, and competitive pricing, it offers an attractive solution if you’re looking to support your business operations with a remote executive assistant. 

7 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines

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As we’ve mentioned before, hiring a Filipino virtual assistant comes with numerous advantages that can significantly make your life easier. Now, most of these benefits go beyond the regular perks of offshore outsourcing, as it’s not the same thing to hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines as to recruit a VA from some other offshore country. Filipino virtual assistants offer a few unique aspects that, if leveraged correctly, can really take your outsourcing decision to the next level. Here’s why:

1. True Service Culture:

One of the standout benefits of Filipino VAs is their exceptional work ethic. People in the Philippines are known for their dedication, reliability, and willingness to go the extra mile. In fact, if you’ve ever visited you probably noticed the warmer aura of the locals - whether that is the server you met at your hotel’s restaurant on vacation or the customer support representative who takes the call about your desire to change your flight. This strong work ethic and welcoming demeanor are a manifestation of the local service culture: for Filipinos, building strong relationships is crucial. This translates into great predisposition, polite and warm conversations, and refreshing transparency, leading to a consistent, high-quality work performance your business will definitely benefit from.

2. High English Proficiency:

If you’re looking to hire a remote executive assistant, you’ll need them to have a strong command of the English language. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to communicate, worry about proofreading everything they turn in, and hesitate before letting them handle communications with your clients. Luckily, the Philippines is among the most English-proficient countries in the world. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, it ranks #20 out of 113 countries that don’t have English as their primary language. This also puts it among the top Asian nations for English skills, meaning you can expect clear and effective communication while offshoring for affordable talent. 

3. Aligned Staff Flexibility:

Hiring offshore virtual assistants offers the competitive advantage of staff flexibility. This means your organization won’t have to worry about the overhead costs of hiring full-time in-house employees - both at a higher cost and a higher risk. By working with Filipino EAs, you can assign them as much or as little work as you need without the pressures of employing traditional salaried staff. Now, the ideal thing is to achieve this staff flexibility without sacrificing a cultural match. This makes Filipino virtual assistants particularly attractive to North American organizations, as they are well-versed in Western business practices and values, making them easy to integrate into your team. This cultural alignment fosters better collaboration and smoother interactions, ensuring your virtual assistant fully aligns with your business goals.

4. Lower Costs:

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We couldn’t ignore the fact that the cost-effectiveness of hiring in the Philippines is a major draw. VA rates are substantially lower compared to Western and even nearshore countries, allowing you to access top-tier talent without breaking the bank. Deel’s salary tool shows that hiring a remote executive assistant from the Philippines can in fact be over 50% cheaper, offering massive savings. This cost advantage can lead to significant savings, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

5. The Local Night Shift Community:

As an offshore location, the Philippines is typically 12-13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. This means the usual daytime working schedule of your Filipino virtual assistants will not match yours. But here’s the thing about these EAs: they have a surprisingly big local night shift community. Remote workers from all over the Philippines virtually get together to support each other and befriend people with similar work schedules, to the point of even doing night shift coworking sessions. This not only makes it easier for you to find time for synchronic work with your EA but also grants you the peace of mind of knowing a like-minded community supports them. Now, if you’d prefer it, the time zone difference can also be leveraged for continuous business operations. You can delegate tasks at the end of your workday and have them completed by the next morning, providing longer customer support hours and faster turnaround times when it comes to business communications. This 24/7 productivity can be a game-changer, particularly for customer support roles.

6. Diverse Skill Sets 

Filipino virtual assistants also bring a diverse skill set to the table. These professionals have expertise in a variety of areas such as administrative support, executive assistance, social media management, customer service, bookkeeping, and technical project management. This versatility allows you to find an EA in the Philippines who perfectly matches your specific needs, as no two virtual assistant roles are the same. The more your EA can target your particular challenges with deep understanding and a proactive mindset, the better the solutions will be.

7. Long-term Partnerships.

Hiring a Filipino virtual assistant offers different immediate advantages, like a strong work ethic, excellent English proficiency, cultural compatibility, and major cost savings. But there’s one benefit often overlooked, and that’s the fact that hiring the right EA in the Philippines can lead to a successful long-term partnership. Many talented professionals there have extensive careers as remote executive assistants, and a desire to continue moving along that route. If you’re looking to hire someone who can become a permanent asset for you and your different ventures, the Philippines can be your best bet.  

Hire Virtual Assistants in the Philippines With A Team Overseas

We hope this article helped you understand why hiring a virtual assistant in the Philippines can be a game-changer for your business, as this offshore alternative has more than one unique advantage to leverage. If you're looking for help finding the right EA, we’d be more than happy to offer our help at A Team Overseas. We can streamline the hiring process and find an executive assistant who meets your specific needs and will truly make a difference in your day-to-day operations. Trust us, there’s no need to let things fall through the cracks when finding the right help has never been as easy and affordable. If you want to start delegating the tasks overflowing your plate, contact us today to learn more about how we can help you hire virtual assistants in the Philippines!