What you will learn:
- How many Australian companies employ Filipinos?
- Understanding time zone differences, Australia vs Philippines.
- Benefits for SME businesses of the Australian – Philippines time zone overlaps.
- How outsourcing to the Philippines enables Australian employers to comply ‘right to disconnect’ Fair Work legislation.
- Which skillsets do Australian SMEs outsource to the Philippines and why?
- How to find the right Philippines outsourcing partner for Australian businesses?
How many Australian companies employ Filipinos?
If you’re running an Australian business and considering hiring Philippines based talent, then you’re in good company!
- Over 250 major Australian companies operate in the Philippines.
- These companies employ over 41,000 Filipinos.
- In addition, hundreds of Australian SMEs employ thousands of Filipinos.
- Yempo Solutions provides IT, Accounting, and Business Support talent to dozens of these firms.
High-quality Philippines talent and 60-70% lower employment costs are big draws for Australian businesses.
- English language skills are excellent.
- There’s a deep pool of well-educated talent to fill hard to recruit Australian roles.
- Filipinos are familiar with complying with Australian regulations. For example, Philippines BPO Australian payroll compliance is easily achieved.
- Filipinos are flexible and fit well with Australian working culture.
And, in the case of Yempo Solutions, our talent solutions are headed by a Philippines based Aussie – me!
Another key factor? The Philippines time zone closely overlaps with major Australian cities.
Understanding time zone differences, Australia vs Philippines.
The Philippines (PHT, UTC+8) is 2 to 3 hours behind most of Australia, depending on the Australian state and Daylight-Saving Time (DST). During AEDT (Oct–Apr), Sydney is 3 hours ahead; during AEST (Apr–Oct), it is 2 hours ahead. Perth is in the same time zone as the Philippines.
Time Difference Calculator (Manila 12:00 PM)
Key Time Differences (Feb 2026 – Summer Time)
Benefits for SME businesses of the Australian – Philippines time zone overlaps.
The considerable overlaps between Australian and Philippines time zones enables Australian SME businesses to provide clients with extended service hours. This is particularly important for SMEs that offer their services to other SMEs and sole traders. Very often, these clients will be completing administration tasks out of hours.
While a sole trader or SME might search ‘Managed IT services Sydney time-zone,’ finding a Sydney MSP that also provides three hours support after work provides a competitive advantage.
But the benefits go beyond out of hours. There’s limited overlap between Australian and Philippines public holidays. Australian firms with Philippines based teams can provide their clients with cost effective bank holiday support without the additional costs of out of hours pay arrangements.
How outsourcing to the Philippines enables Australian employers to comply ‘right to disconnect’ Fair Work legislation.
Small businesses are, by their nature, less structured than larger enterprises. Traditionally, they’ve relied on the goodwill of employees to flex to demands. But, since August 2025, employees of Australian SMEs have had the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact (or attempted contact) outside their working hours, unless doing so is unreasonable. This includes contact (or attempted contact) from an employer or a third party.
Right to Disconnect presents Australian SMEs with a challenge that’s hard to fix without increasing costs.
According to The Australian, SMEs are increasingly hiring staff in the Philippines to bypass the limitations of “right to disconnect” legislation that restricts after-hours contact with local staff. This shift has driven significant growth for Philippine offshore talent providers, with some projecting a 35% revenue increase in 2026.
The trend we’re seeing at Yempo Solutions is our clients viewing their Filipino teams as an extension off their Australian offices. The combined benefits of lower costs, quality talent, Fair Work compliance and flexibility delivering unbeatable advantages vs 100% local teams.
Yempo’s fully integrated model means they are an extension of our local team. Our clients don’t know difference. Cost is simply an added benefit.’ – Simon J., current Yempo Solutions Australia client.
Which skillsets do Australian SMEs outsource to the Philippines and why?
Access Group’s end of 2025 survey of Australian recruitment reported:
- 51% of employers are recruiting
- 45% can’t fill roles.
- 58% of hiring is to replace leavers; only 31% adds net new roles.
- Hiring is particularly difficult for Australian SMEs as they face competition for talent.
- Staff turnover takes time from senior employees.
Rapidly rising IT salaries and a shortage of Australian accounting talent is driving the demand we’re seeing at Yempo Solutions for dedicated Philippines IT and accounting employees. In addition, we’re experiencing increased demand for business support staff as Australian SMEs seek employment cost savings that they can use to fund the rising costs of key local hires.
How to find the right Philippines outsourcing partner for Australian businesses?
In the eleven years since I established Yempo Solutions, clients that have come to us have shared numerous prior experiences of outsourcing that’s gone wrong. Unfortunately, rapid sector growth has opened doors for some less than scrupulous operators. Fortunately, we know their tricks and have prepared a series of blogs so that you can confidently add Philippines based talent to your teams.
If you prefer to cut out leg work, then I’ll be delighted to jump on a call with you to help you understand your options, the support you can expect, the benefits you’ll gain
‘Michelle is a big plus since having an Australian running Yempo helps align cultural values.’ – Andrea H., current Yempo Solutions Australia client.
