Due to the precariousness of the English language, in recent years’ companies in the Contact Center & BPO sector have decided to close thousands of jobs in the region and relocate their investments to other markets where they have no difficulty in recruiting qualified personnel.
Reports at a global level show that the command of English is one of the weaknesses at a Central American level.
During the last year, Contact Center and BPO service sector exports were estimated at $600 million, 12% less than the $720 million reported the previous year.
Some of the factors influencing the failure to reach the job creation projection include the fact that no English language skills have been generated in young people, and at the time of the forecasts the exchange rate in the country was Q8.2 to one dollar, and now the rate has dropped to Q7.7.
EGS Guatemala has announced the expansion of operations in customer services, billing and back offices for telecommunications and energy.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance in Guatemala:
Guatemala, March 15, 2016. The Minister of Economy, Ruben Morales, participated in the inauguration of EGS's third site in Guatemala, Primma 2. This company belongs to the call center and BPO sector, one of the two sectors covered by Decree Law 19-2016.
The legislature has finally passed the Employment Act granting exemptions for 10 years for call centers and maquilas operating in the country.
From a statement issued by the Congress of Guatemala:
With 113 votes in favor, members of the National Emergency Congress approved Decree 19-2016, Emerging Act for the Conservation of Employment, which exempts import tax for 10 years for call centers and maquilas operating in the country .
During 2014 the industry for business process outsourcing generated sales of $397 million, an increase of 15% compared to 2013.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalan Exporters Association (-AGEXPORT-):
Entrepreneurs in the IT & BPO sector at AGEXPORT, made up of enterprises working in Software Development, Development and Digital Content, Contact Centers and BPO's, announced that at the close of 2014 there was growth of 15%, positioning Guatemala as emerging market in the industry of outsourcing services.
Between 2009 and 2013 the revenues generated by the sector which outsources business services increased from $225 million to $650 million at the end of 2013.
For the development of this industry to continue "... Invest in Guatemala together with other institutions has designed a strategy with a vision for 2020 ", with the aim of achieving, over a period of five years, the generation of $2.3 billion in services and thus contribute 3.57% to the gross domestic product (GDP).
The company has announced it will reduce the number of its customer service centers from 11-3 , and in Guatemala it has hired BPO services from Xerox.
The firm Xerox will be responsible for business process outsourcing (BPO) services for Guatemala where it is projected that 215 jobs will be created.
According to Federico Medinilla, manager of Xerox, "the cruise operator has been divided into three units: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. The call center in Guatemala will handle the customer service aspect for the three companies. "
Companies in the sector are predicting the creation of about 42,000 jobs for bilingual staff over the next 3 years in order to meet the needs of the industry.
The projections by executives from the companies 24 / 7 Customer, the Commission for Contact Centers and BPO’s from the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport), also include the creation of some 15,000 positions for workers who provide services in Spanish.
OUTSOURCE founded in 1998, is part of a business group focused on providing management services for business processes that include outsourcing
Organization that operates in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama
Phone: (504) 252 4487 - (504) 263 1176
24/7 Customer will double its operations during this year, adding 500 people to their current workforce of 900.
As the first phase of their hiring process, the call center will stage a "24 Hour recruiting day" on July 24, where it aims to hire as much people as possible in 24 hours.
"We will be requiring students, women and mothers with job experience in banking, hospitality and other services", published Prensalibre.com, "opportunities also exists for third age citizens and foreigners with good level of English language".
In order to grow, the call center industry needs to train 22 thousand Guatemalans over the next two years.
As part of the annual meeting of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, Central America chapter, Mario Lopez, Transactel executive, noted the need for a bilingual workforce in order to remain competitive.
Prensalibre.com published statements by the entrepreneur: "We are at an interesting time in the industry because it has had the opportunity to bring large companies like Genpact, 24-7, Digitex and Exxon, among others, but we have difficulty finding the bilingual workforce."
FTAs, a skilled workforce and the proximity to strategic markets are among the attractions for investors in Nicaragua.
In its April 2009 issue, Revista Summa will publish an exclusive interview with Javier Chamorro, Executive Director of ProNicaragua which is directed at getting to know the advances in attracting foreign direct investment and the plans that will be developed during 2009.
Its Business Process Outsourcing center currently employs 300 people and expects to expand its payroll by 500 employees during 2009.
According to Prensalibre.com, the Center for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) “has two divisions: Data processing and call center installations.
David Poole, chief executive of Capgemini for America pointed out that Guatemala has a high potential for the development of these centers, even in times of crisis, since transnational companies, especially from the US, are trying export services to minimize costs."
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