BPO jobs soared in 2021
Published:Thursday | July 14, 2022 | 12:08 AM
Despite challenges that faced the global digital services owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry recorded a 15 per cent increase in employment, with approximately 44,000 persons employed across the sector as at June 2021 compared to 38,400 for the corresponding period of 2020.
This was supported by the sector’s ability to adapt and grow during the pandemic as employees worked remotely and continued to support business operations.
The Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) 2021 reported that there were also new entrants and expansions in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
Among the new entrants was Iterum BPO Connections, the first Latin BPO operator to open a contact centre facility in Jamaica. The company is located in the Ferry Pen commercial complex in St Catherine.
Iterum has committed to capital expenditure of US$2.5 million and seeks to employ more than 500 persons in its first year of operation.
Ibex Global Expansion launched its fifth location, the GTech Park, a 70,000-square-foot building in Portmore, which employs more than 1,500 persons. The company also established a sixth location at the Jaguar facility in Kingston. This site will create more than 1,000 jobs.
Another company, Itel Expansion (Chalmers, Kingston) acquired a new 80,000-square-foot building which is expected to create 1,500 jobs.
In 2021, Alorica’s Kingston BPO facility expanded and now occupies the full capacity of its 58 Half-Way Tree Road location.
The ESSJ reported that G.C. Foster College, in collaboration with the HEART/NSTA Trust, developed a programme to train persons to work in the BPO industry. Training includes telephone etiquette, US time zones, handling calls, listening skills, and accent neutralisation.
The HEART/NSTA Trust has also partnered with the global services sector on a cybersecurity training programme.
The programme is in response to calls from the sector for strengthened capacity to respond to challenges posed by cyberthreats and attacks.