Officeworks is moving more of its operations to the Philippines and India, a shift that reflects the growing role of offshore business hubs in retail support, digital services and back-office work.
The Melbourne-based retailer, owned by Wesfarmers, has already set up a global capability centre in Bengaluru, India, to strengthen its technology, data, digital and retail support functions. The move suggests a broader effort to deepen offshore operations as companies look for lower-cost, scalable ways to run parts of their business.
For Filipino workers and professionals, the expansion reinforces the Philippines’ standing as one of the world’s most important centres for business process outsourcing and shared services. The country has long been a preferred destination for customer support, administration, finance and operational roles because of its large English-speaking workforce, strong service culture and established outsourcing industry.
That creates opportunities for Filipino professionals with skills in customer service, information technology, business administration and digital operations. As more Australian companies expand offshore functions, workers in the Philippines are increasingly positioned to take on roles that were once handled in local Australian offices, especially in sectors where companies are under pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency.
For the Filipino-Australian community, the development is likely to be seen through both opportunity and caution: it underscores the strength of Filipino talent in global business, while also highlighting how quickly workplace models are changing across Australia and Asia.
One Filipino-Australian who spoke to The Philippine Times after hearing the news said this makes them want to consider work in the Philippines again.
“This makes me think it’s a good time to go back and apply for an Officeworks job in the Philippines.”
For Australia, the shift carries a more mixed message. On one hand, businesses benefit from access to larger talent pools, 24-hour operations and more flexible staffing models. On the other hand, the change raises concerns about the future of some support and administrative jobs in Australia, particularly as more routine tasks are moved offshore.
The trend also reflects a broader restructuring in how companies organise their workforces. Rather than keeping all functions in one country, many firms are spreading operations across regional hubs, with the Philippines and India playing increasingly central roles in finance, customer care, technology support and other business services.
Officeworks has not publicly detailed the full scale of the offshore shift, including how many roles are involved or whether any Australian positions will be directly affected.
The expansion is another sign of the Philippines’ growing importance in global business support operations, while also showing how Australian companies are increasingly looking offshore to stay competitive. For Filipino professionals, it is both a vote of confidence in the country’s workforce and a reminder of the expanding opportunities in international shared services.
