Making the Case for Jamaica

It’s small enough to be ignored by some within the industry, but Jamaica is making a stronger push for more nearshore business. One key move came in 2012 when local and international companies banded together to form the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), an advocacy group for the industry that has lobbied politicians in Kingston to pass policies that will keep the island nation competitive for BPO and IT work. At Nexus 2014, BPIAJ President Yoni Esptein said the group has already partnered with the government’s national training agency to revamp the curriculum with more of a BPO focus. And it also helped establish a fund to finance more call center space for firms to expand. “We’ve been able tackle a lot of small and a lot of big things really quickly,” said Epstein.