Balik Pinoy: Building HR Tech That Actually Works for Filipino Businesses

Let's talk about something Filipinos know but don't say often enough: Philippine MSME's are the backbone of the Philippine economy. They represent over 99% of all registered businesses and employ 65% of the workforce. But here's the kicker: despite representing the overwhelming majority of businesses, MSME's only contribute about 40% to the GDP.

That gap? It's not about capability. It's about resources, access, and the right tools to compete in a digital-first economy.

This is where trellis PH comes in. Not as another foreign outsourcing company extracting value from the Philippines, but as a Filipino-built platform by HR experts who've scaled global companies from Manila. We're talking about leaders who built the teams that turned Canva Philippines and SafetyCulture Manila into powerhouses and who bring two decades of digital transformation experience, including work with the UNDP and Fortune 500 companies.

Why We Made the Shift from HR Services to HR Tech

trellis CEO King Reyes at the PhilVenCap 412th Forum

Photo courtesy of Philippine Venture Capital & Investment Group

Here's the reality: traditional HR services can't keep up. The DTI's MSME Development Plan 2023-2028 explicitly calls for optimizing AI technologies and fostering a digital-first ecosystem. However, when only 6% of Philippine MSME's have advanced digital tools for their businesses, and 23% still don't have any digital tools at all, there's a massive disconnect.

We saw this firsthand. Filipino businesses need enterprise-grade HR capabilities, sophisticated recruitment, seamless onboarding, compliance management, performance tracking, but can't afford the infrastructure and personnel that big corporations have.

So we built trellis, a platform that democratizes access to world-class HR tech. Whether you're a 5-person startup in Cebu or a 200-person company in Makati, you get the same level of sophistication that previously only enterprise companies could afford.

The Real Challenge: Philippine Businesses Need to Scale, Not Just Survive

Let's be honest about what we're facing. Filipino employers struggle to find and attract the right talent. Meanwhile, our BPO industry generated US$38 billion in 2024 and employs 1.82 million Filipinos, making the Philippines the world's second-largest global services hub after India. But here's what keeps us up at night: we're still heavily concentrated in contact center work (83% of industry revenue), which makes us vulnerable to AI disruption.

The solution isn't to resist change; it's to move up the value chain. That requires better HR infrastructure that lets Philippine businesses compete not just on cost, but on capability.

What Makes trellis Different: Built for the Philippine Reality

Foreign outsourcing platforms don't understand our context. They don't know about 13th-month pay requirements, SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions. They don't understand that cultural resistance, lack of technical expertise, and financial constraints are the top three barriers to digital adoption for Philippine MSME's.

We do. Because we're Filipinos, building for Filipinos.

Our Tech-enabled Approach

Smart matching beyond resumes: We don't just post jobs and hope for the best. trellis uses intelligent matching that considers not just skills, but cultural fit, growth trajectory, and long-term potential. In a market where 52% of Filipino workers now operate on hybrid schedules, we help you find people who can thrive in whatever work setup you offer.

Complete HR solution: From day one recruitment to year-end performance reviews, trellis handles the entire employee lifecycle. This includes:

1. Automated compliance with local labor laws (Ease of Doing Business Act, Labor Code updates)
2. Payroll processing with automatic computation of government contributions
3. Leave management integrated with Philippine holidays and company-specific policies
4. Performance tracking with OKR’s and 360-degree feedback
5. Training and development modules that support upskilling initiatives

Real-time Collaboration: With 91% of Filipino employees preferring hybrid or remote work, collaboration tools aren't optional—they're essential. trellis integrates with tools you're already using while providing unified dashboards for visibility. It can also serve as an all-in-one HR solution for your growing business.

Supporting MSME’s While Building World-class Teams

Here's what makes this model powerful: every successful hire we facilitate creates high-quality employment for Filipino professionals. But it goes deeper than that.

We're not just filling positions. We're helping Philippine businesses become employers of choice. When you have proper HR infrastructure, you can:

1. Reduce turnover: In a market where attrition costs companies significantly, having proper onboarding, development paths, and performance management makes a massive difference. Companies with strong retention strategies save money and maintain institutional knowledge.
2. Attract better talent: More than 70% of HR leaders now prioritize skills over education and experience. When you can clearly articulate career paths and demonstrate commitment to employee growth, you attract ambitious, growth-oriented talent.
3. Scale faster: The demand for talent is only increasing. Companies that can hire, onboard, and ramp up employees efficiently will win.
4. Compete globally: trellis enables Philippine companies to hire talent that can serve international clients, opening up new revenue streams and growth opportunities.

The Numbers That Matter: Why This Works

The Philippine BPO industry has proven the model: we can deliver world-class services at competitive rates while maintaining quality. The industry has experienced a 7% revenue growth compared to 2023 and contributed US$38 billion in revenues in 2024.

But here's what's changing: Philippine businesses need more than just BPO services. They need complete teams—marketing, tech, operations, customer success—all managed with enterprise-grade HR systems.

trellis makes this possible by:

1. Reducing time-to-hire: Our platform can cut recruitment time by up to 50% through intelligent applicant tracking and candidate matching
2. Improving quality-of-hire: Better screening, assessment, and matching mean fewer bad hires and lower turnover
3. Lowering administrative burden: Automated compliance, payroll, and performance management free up your time to focus on growth
4. Providing transparency: Real-time dashboards show you exactly what you're getting and how your teams are performing

Addressing the Digital Transformation Gap

Philippine MSME’s face significant digital barriers including policy gaps, regulatory challenges, and limited access to digital tools. This is more pronounced in remote regions. Government initiatives like SETUP (Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program) and the Tatak Pinoy Act are steps in the right direction. But businesses need immediate, practical solutions.

That's what trellis provides. We're not waiting for infrastructure to catch up. We're building cloud-based tools that work with the internet connections we have, on the devices Filipino businesses already use.

The Future: AI, Automation, and Filipino Talent

Let's address the elephant in the room: AI. Yes, AI poses risks to traditional jobs, but it also creates opportunities for those who adapt. The AMRO (ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office) analysis makes it clear: business processes requiring empathy, nuanced communication, and cultural understanding cannot be easily replaced by machines.

This is where Filipino talent excels. But to leverage this advantage, businesses need HR systems that can:

1. Identify and develop high-potential talent: Not everyone will be displaced by AI—those who can work alongside it will thrive
2. Facilitate continuous learning: Currently, 68% of Filipino workers will need additional training by 2025, but only 38% have started upskilling
3. Enable agile workforce planning: As business needs change, HR systems need to quickly identify skill gaps and deploy training
4. Track and measure impact: Data-driven insights help businesses invest in the right people and programs

trellis integrates AI where it makes sense—automating repetitive tasks, surfacing insights from data, assisting in candidate matching—while keeping humans at the center of the experience.

Why Philippine Businesses Should Choose trellis

Here's the simple truth: you have three options when it comes to HR.

Option 1: Do it yourself manually. This means spreadsheets, paper forms, chasing people for signatures, trying to keep up with changing regulations, and spending hours on tasks that could be automated. This works when you're five people in an organization. It breaks down completely at 20. Imagine doing it for 50 or 100.

Option 2: Use generic global platforms. These tools weren't built for the Philippine context. They don't understand our labor laws, our holidays, our business culture. You'll spend more time customizing and working around limitations than actually managing people.

Option 3: Use trellis. Built by Filipinos who've scaled companies here. Purpose-designed for Philippine labor laws, business practices, and cultural norms. Priced for MSMEs, not just enterprises.

The choice becomes obvious when you consider:

1. Time savings: What could you do with an extra 10-15 hours per week currently spent on HR admin?
2. Compliance confidence: How much is it worth to know you're handling labor law requirements correctly?
3. Talent advantage: In a competitive market, how valuable is it to hire faster and better than your competitors?
4. Scalability: What opportunities are you missing because you can't scale your team fast enough?

Ready to Transform Your Business?

Philippine businesses don't need "good enough" solutions. We need world-class tools built specifically for our market. That's what trellis delivers. A platform by Filipino HR experts, for Filipino businesses, solving Filipino problems. Whether you're a startup looking to make your first hire, a growing SME trying to professionalize your HR function, or an established company ready to scale, we provide the infrastructure you need to compete and win.

The future of work in the Philippines is being written right now. Companies that invest in proper HR infrastructure today will be the ones hiring, scaling, and winning tomorrow.

Isa ka ba sa kanila?