BPO employment to double - BPIAJ boss

WESTERN BUREAU:

Gloria Henry, president of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), says that plans are in place to double the current employment rate of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, which currently employs approximately 30,000 persons islandwide.

Henry, who was addressing students at the inaugural staging of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation's (JAMPRO) BPO Career Fair at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James yesterday, said the plan includes expansions which are to take place in Kingston and Portmore.

"We have moved from 7,500 jobs in the BPO industry in 2007 to 11,000 jobs in 2011, and we are now on our way to 30,000 employees across Jamaica and still growing," said Henry.

"There is a national plan to double this sector. It started here in Montego Bay and has spread across the island.

"We are in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, and we're expanding rapidly in Kingston and Portmore, with several new constructions taking place," continued Henry.

"We expect that there will be continuously improved oppor-tunities, not just for contact centres, but also a lot of opportunities in knowledge process outsourcing."

Knowledge process outsourc-ing is the outsourcing of core information-related business activities, in which information-related work is done by workers in a different company or by a subordinate of the same wider organisation.

Vastly experienced

Henry, who is vastly experienced in the sector, also noted that the BPO industry's growth is receiving support from various local interest groups.

"There is the support of the Jamaica Government, working through HEART; the Ministry of Education; the Special Economic Zone Authority, and several other agencies. There is the culture and hospitality, and there is the skilled labour force, which is you," Henry told the students.

"This is a global services sector, which creates opportuni-ties for young people. BPO offers the opportunity for career growth, and you have the opportunity to go anywhere," added Henry.

Yesterday's BPO Career Fair, which was held in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Heart Trust/NTA, was launched in Montego Bay to encourage employment in western Jamaica's BPO sector. The event was previously held in Kingston last year.