KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) says more real estate development is needed to expand the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

As such, the agency organised a “Real Estate BPO Forum” on Wednesday in an effort to promote development of commercial space for BPO, encourage local investment into the sector and create more jobs and investments in sector.

Executive Vice President of Site Selection and Brokerage at ESRP, Jeff Pappas informed those in attendance at the forum of Jamaica’s position as a near shore BPO destination and further disclosed that the country has been selected for many BPO investment projects.

Pappas noted that it was critical for BPO space and projects to be long term, as it will allow Jamaicans to support their families and increase their earning potential.

With regards to developing real estate to attract BPO projects to Jamaica, he said: “Business and how we work is changing, therefore work environments and real estate have to keep pace. Flexibility, telecommuting; these things matter to potential employees and BPO companies when they evaluate a space. If you will build it, they [investors] will come. ”   

Meanwhile, JAMPRO Vice President of Investment Promotion Claude Duncan noted that for Jamaica to meet the sector’s rapid expansion, the country must have enough commercial space and talent to accommodate companies that are interested in hiring at least 500 people, with the potential to expand to thousands, and multiple locations.

“As interest grows, we need to create the atmosphere that will encourage large investments and expansions in the BPO sector. Investors want to do long term projects in Jamaica and we have to meet the demand to ensure that we create those much-needed jobs,” he said.

 “The Minister Chang-led National IT-BPO Task Force is focused on addressing these issues, and JAMPRO and the Heart Trust NTA have a goal of addressing challenges related to developing BPO space and talent to boost the industry. We believe that with these interventions, we will be able to develop the ecosystem necessary to create sustainable growth in the sector.”

The seminar also featured presentations from the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Authority, the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and Jamaica’s National BPO Coordinator, Roger Williams.

JAMPRO, an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, is working to drive Jamaica’s economic development through growth in investment and export.