MONTEGO BAY, St James — Vice-president for business process outsourcing (BPO) and logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, Gloria Henry is convinced that the future of the sector lies in a model that blends human talent with advanced technologies to drive efficiency and global competitiveness.

“We are now focusing on intelligence-based outsourcing, which is going to deliver the next generation of growth in Jamaica’s global services sector. This is humans and technology working together in the contact centre, in the BPO centres, to enhance productivity and to provide value and to deliver value to our customers,” she said.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer following the Montego Bay Free Zone (MBFZ) Employment Creation Awards at the MBFZ last Thursday, Henry said workers should not be daunted as artificial intelligence (AI), on its own, cannot do what they do.

“AI by itself cannot deliver the results. Humans are there, providing the direction, providing the support… providing the data, guiding, ensuring that we get the results that we’re seeking,” she insisted.

She argued that the integration of AI will allow workers to significantly increase output and efficiency.

“They can work faster and they can produce more with the kind of support that AI can offer,” Henry stressed.

She also underlined the importance of training and upskilling to support the sector’s evolution, pointing to the importance of collaboration with institutions such as HEART/NSTA Trust through the Ministry of Education and Youth.

“This is where upskilling is going to play a very, very critical role for us. We have not done the kind of deep diving, as a country, that we need to do yet to start to train persons. But I can see that there are steps being made in that direction, especially coming out of the recent budget presentation by the prime minister, that we are going to continue to support the growth of this sector,” she noted.

Stressing that the industry must remain forward-looking Henry encouraged stakeholders to adopt a proactive approach to technological change.

“We shouldn’t be daunted by the integration of AI. We should embrace it and look towards making our industry more productive, more resilient and more globally competitive,” she urged.

Thursday’s award ceremony celebrated companies contributing to employment growth within the free zone, with Unique Vacations taking top honours. The company’s senior director Leezo Wallace welcomed the recognition, noting Unique Vacations’ resilience during challenging periods.

“I am extremely happy that during tough times we were able to achieve the highest percentage growth as a company. And as Gloria said, quite frankly, our retention rate is one of the lowest within the free zone and the BPO sector. We have less than a three per cent retention rate,” Wallace told the Sunday Observer.

“These hirings that we did was right during the hurricane, and we maintained them even though they were just one week in, after the hurricane. We kept them on payroll,” he added.

Also during the event, Henry paid tribute to veteran leader Valarie Ives for 41 years of service, while highlighting the growing role of women in leadership across the sector.

“I am sure looking on today she will agree with me that we are redefining what leadership means in 2026 versus 1996, where very few women were in leadership in BPO. Today, notable younger leaders such as Tamara Moulton, Odetta Rockhead Kerr who blazed a trail for many, Yanique Troupe, Tricia Simms, and Melissa von Frankenberg are among many who exemplify this spirit and are continuously leaving an indelible mark on the sector,” Henry said.

Recipients of Montego Bay Free Zone Employment Creation Awards pose with representatives of the Montego Bay Freezone last Thursday.

Chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone (MBFZ) Mark Hart (right) presents the winning trophy to Patrice Lawrence, executive administrative assistant at Unique Vacations Limited, during the MBFZ Employment Creation Awards last Thursday. Unique Vacations took top honours.