KINGSTON, Jamaica — Industry leaders have forcefully rejected media allegations suggesting Jamaican call center operators are paying workers as little as $200 per hour, calling the claims unrepresentative of the legitimate business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.
Gloria Henry, former president of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica, addressed the controversy during the launch event for the Portmore Informatics Park Incubator and JAMPRO Linkages initiative last Wednesday. She asserted that compliant BPO operators functioning under Jamaica’s Special Economic Zone Act, Companies Act, and national labor regulations adhere strictly to statutory wage requirements.
Henry emphasized that established operators—including tier one, two, and three companies—must comply with compensation standards set by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, including contributions to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). She clarified that formal sector wages typically range from $400 to $650 hourly for entry-level positions, with additional compensation through attendance incentives, performance commissions, and overtime premiums.
The industry advocate issued a direct challenge regarding wage violation claims: “We say categorically, bring the pay slips to the secretariat… because that would be half of the national minimum wage. If that is out there, we, as a country, must call out that perpetrator.” She stressed the association’s zero-tolerance policy toward verified breaches while cautioning against generalizing isolated incidents across an industry employing thousands.
Henry shifted the conversation toward productivity and global competitiveness, noting that Jamaica maintains strengths in customer experience and accent neutrality but faces challenges in some transactional operations. She acknowledged that lower productivity per agent can lead to intensified performance management, but distinguished between workplace pressure and exploitation.
Looking forward, Henry called for industry evolution amid global competition, rising labor costs, and technological disruption. “We have to move up the value chain,” she urged, advocating for higher-paying roles in analytics, compliance, FinTech, and digital services, including the establishment of AI labs in Jamaica.
She highlighted the sector’s significant contributions to employment and export earnings, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and concluded that the industry must remain focused on transformation and sustainable growth despite challenges.