As local BPO industry faces labour shortages, Govt offers support to find workers

As Government continues to recognize the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector’s potential to create thousands of jobs for Guyanese countrywide, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service Dr. Ashni Singh yesterday met with several companies within the sector to discuss its prospects and to get a better understanding of the challenges faced by the sector.

In light of the recent scaling back of operations of one large operator in the sector and the closure of one other, the finance minister invited several companies still operating in the sector to provide the Government with a greater insight of the developments in the sector.

During the engagement, the companies noted the principal challenge of attracting and retaining talent, particularly given the rapid emergence of jobs in other sectors of Guyana.

The Minister and the sector recognised the tremendous opportunities for expansion, with the potential for new clients being attracted to Guyana and additional job opportunities being created, in particular, jobs that are especially popular with the female workforce and that provide an entry point into the world of work in a technology-based environment. The companies also indicated a strong desire to partner with the Government to expand their footprint in the country, attract additional clients, and create additional jobs.

In this regard, Minister Singh discussed initiatives to support the sector, including the launch of a series of job fairs and public communication campaigns to bring about greater awareness of the sector, given the number of jobs that are potentially available in several location across the country. The Senior Minister pointed out that Government recognizes the constant changes in the information communications technology sector, and the need to evolve the model of call-centres from an entry level one providing telemarketing services, to a contact centre model providing more value-added jobs.

Minister Singh reaffirmed Government’s commitment to continue to work closely with the BPO sector to support its development and expansion, and reiterated that Guyana remains an attractive destination for BPO business.

Also joining the meeting was the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop. [Press Release]