MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) says it intends to position the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as the main job creator if it is elected to office in the upcoming elections, even as the party has stated that the industry offers low-skill, low-wage employment.

Opposition spokesman on science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship Dr Andre Haughton made the pledge after a tour of several BPO operations in the Montego Bay Freezone last Friday with several PNP members, including spokesman on industry, investment and global logistics Anthony Hylton.

“This is the number one industry that the People’s National Party is looking at to move Jamaica forward,” Haughton told the
Jamaica Observer.

“Currently it employs 60,000 people; we want to move that in the next five years to 100,000 people, and it will come, but it will require the support from the Government,” he said.

During the 2016 election campaign the PNP had said that the BPO sector would provide a big portion of the 100,000 jobs it had expected would be created over five years if it was returned to power.

The then Opposition Jamaica Labour Party had promised that the sector would deliver 75,000 jobs if it was elected to office.

Last September, at the public session of the PNP’s 86th annual conference, spokesman on finance Julian Robinson vowed that when the party forms the next Government, growing the economy will be its priority from the first day.

“Not just any growth, but a deliberate, inclusive, and sustainable expansion that reaches every corner of Jamaica. Growth that transforms our economy by moving beyond low-wage jobs to high-value industries, fostering innovation and driving value-added exports. This means creating better-paying jobs, improving infrastructure, and empowering local businesses to compete on the global stage,” Robinson said to loud cheers from Comrades inside the National Arena.

He said that too often Jamaica has leaned on low-skill, low-wage jobs, especially in sectors like the BPO, which he was, nevertheless, quick to add has been good for the economy.

“While these jobs have played a role in creating employment, they cannot be the foundation of a strong and resilient economy. To truly advance, Jamaica must pursue a future where value-added exports play a larger role. This includes promoting industries that capitalise on our creativity, our intellectual capital, and our natural resources,” Robinson said.

On Friday, Haughton said the BPO sector has the right mechanisms, especially the technological components, for growth.

“It’s not just about business process outsourcing, it’s about technology-driven jobs, it’s about innovative jobs, and it’s about making people understand the value of their skills and who they want to become and how their skill set fits into that puzzle,” he said.

According to Haughton, when this avenue for job creation is compared to other industries, there are clear indicators that the BPO sector can make this a reality with cheaper inputs.

“What the practitioners have said is that it takes them about US$10 million to provide about a thousand jobs in the BPO sector, but when you compare that to the tourism sector it takes US$200 million to produce a thousand jobs,” Haughton said.

“When you look at the tourism industry, most of the Jamaicans that are employed there are employed in lower-level jobs, and the middle management and the top management are imported. With the BPO, all along the value chain are domestic players,” he claimed.

“With the advent of the fourth and fifth industrial revolution, with… artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and everything that is happening on the computer… it provides an avenue for the employees to be trained and upskilled so they can fetch higher returns for their jobs — and that is what we want as a country,” Haughton argued.

“The BPO sector, in terms of input per output of jobs, if job creation is our aim [then] that sector is important,” he said.

However, he said for this to happen it will require support at the Government level to ensure that the stakeholders have what they need.

“They need promotion similar to how the Tourism Enhancement Fund promotes Jamaica’s tourism industry. The BPO industry is not just competing with their local counterparts but with themselves overseas and their overseas counterparts,” he stated.

“When a contract is published to be given, they are competing against their sister company in Guatemala, their sister company in Mexico, their sister company in the Dominican Republic, and so on,” he said.