Terrelonge defends BPO jobs
MONTEGO BAY, St James – State minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Alando Terrelonge has blasted corporate Jamaica, some of whom have criticised and classified the global services sector (GSS), formally known as the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, as a low-paying job industry.
“Now, I tell you this, there are many persons in corporate Jamaica who don’t even earn $70,000 or $80,000 per month. So why on earth you would want to classify young Jamaicans going to work in the global services sector as somehow, some sort of dead-end job or criticise or chastise that sector,” argued Terrelonge.
He was addressing the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) Quarterly Breakfast Forum at the Grand-A-View in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday.
The minister made the comment as he reflected on an article he read in which the author cheekily referred to the global services sector as ‘a dead beat or dead-end job’.
“And, I remarked, this author is absolutely clueless. This author absolutely has no idea what it means to have the young men and young women of Jamaica get up every single day, evening, and night and go to work,” remarked Terrelonge.
Terrelonge further related testimonials he has received from young people working in the industry.
“When I speak to the young men and young women in Jamaica and they say to me, ‘MP, or Minister or Mr Terrelonge, I have three CXC’s, I have four CXC’s, and no one else would have employed me, but I now have a job in a call centre. I am earning up to [$] 60,000 per month and depending on the client that I have, I can earn [$]120,000 per month, which does not include overtime,” related Terrelonge.
The minister said in 2013, there were about 13,500 jobs in the BPO sector. Today he said, there are more than 38,000 people employed with some 60 companies offering their services in the sector.
“Jamaicans, it is time we understand that we are a service industry nation. The growth and development that we saw in the bauxite era it no longer stands as the same strong player that it used to,” he argued.
Global services and tourism are among those that make up the services sector which is one of the largest contributors to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
For her part, president of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica Gloria Henry noted that the industry has grown five times the size it was in 2007 and three times the size it was in 2010 in St James alone. Overall, the global services sector has recorded more than six per cent growth over 2018, with current employment of more than 38,000 people. In Freeport, St James, there are currently over 12,000 people employed in the global services sector.
Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis, in commending the group for hosting the quarterly breakfast, noted that Montego Bay is still at the epicentre of economic development in Jamaica.
The mayor further argued that over the next five years Montego Bay will be in need of an additional 20,000 to 25,000 workers to fill the global services and tourism industry.
Meanwhile, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Janet Silvera, said the quarterly breakfast, which is the brainchild of Henry, who is also a director of the chamber, is aimed at getting employers to prepare employees with the skills necessary for specific types of jobs in the modern world of work.
Silvera said the chamber’s next major event is MoBay Expo which is aimed at exposing the services sector to the rest of western Jamaica.
She said the March 6-8 event will be hosted at a time when Montego Bay will be celebrating its 40th city status anniversary, while the chamber will be celebrating 30 years of showcasing businesses at an expo.