COUNTRY PROFILE: Guatemala Ramps Up BPO Services, But Can it Meet Skilled Labor Demands?
November 17th, 2010Finding out if you still get the same bang for your Quetzal in Guat City
By Tarun George
When Guatemala arrived on the outsourcing stage a decade ago, it was pegged as the new destination of choice in Central America. But after the first two big fish Capgemini and ACS jumped in, it quickly became evident that Guatemala did not have a well thought-out plan of action to ramp up and ride the outsourcing wave. The perception in following years was of a saturated labor market and a country that had missed its peak.
Recently however, Guatemala is pulling off an impressive comeback in BPO and contact center services, buoyed by promo agency Invest in Guatemala working to replenish the labor supply and provide quality talent to meet firms’ demand. That’s an ambitious goal, and it remains to be seen whether the country can throw off the old image and deliver.
Invest in Guatemala takes a huge cut in staff
July 20th, 2009Invest in Guatemala (IIG), the economic development agency based in Guatemala 
City, recently lost 12 of 15 staff members in a sweeping layoff that has many in the local outsourcing industry wondering: What is the government thinking?
The agency is a key catalyst in promoting the BPO/outsourcing sector in Guatemala, and also helps attract investment into other industries such as agriculture, tourism, energy and manufacturing.
The news is a big shock to many who have come to recognize the Guatemala government as having an enlightened approach to attracting foreign investment. IIG staff are charged with facilitating discussions between local service providers in the BPO sector and foreign clients. Most of the clients are from the US, and those formative relationships – cultivated by IIG – are built oftentimes on trust and continuity.
There is nothing more alarming for an foreign investor to …
The Guatemala Story: Will Big Tech and ITO Define the Next Wave?
April 29th, 2009During last week’s IAOP Central America conference, I had the unique pleasure to spend some time with Ingrid Jacobs, a high energy and enthusiastic champion of near shore outsourcing in Guatemala. She is a senior advisor in the government-supported Invest in Guatemala agency.
Ingrid Jacobs is a senior advisor at Invest in Guatemala
Ingrid played a major role in driving the success of the conference – pulling together logistics, orchestrating sponsors and driving registration – all in a span of about six weeks.
Ingrid reports that:
The number of BPO employee in Guatemala has roughly doubled in the last 6 months, rising to 12,000 FTEs.
The government is increasingly focused on bi-lingual education, both in near term and long term.
Attracting firms seeking support for ITO functions is becoming a major initiative for …
