Narayan AmmachchiThe Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) is set to build the island’s largest technology park in Saint Catherine, with the intention of creating another base for call centers and BPOs.
The business center, combined with a similar but smaller facility in nearby St. Thomas, will create 830,000 square feet of office space, making way for the industry to add another 20,000 employees to its workforce.
Lyttleton Shirley, Chairman of FCJ, told Jamaica Information Service that he was in contact with BPO firms willing set up operations in the facilities.
The FCJ, which has already rented out three of its buildings to BPO firms, says the government had identified the global services industry as the fastest generator of jobs on the island.
If everything goes according to plan, construction of the office campuses will begin in March this year.
“We believe that it will be a game changer, not only in terms of new urban development reform but in terms of jobs and investment opportunities,” said Shirley.
This is just another example of the emphasis that Jamaica is placing on the BPO industry. Two years ago, the government relocated postal service employees in Kingston to free up space for call center firms expanding in the country.
Jamaica has the largest BPO sector in all of the Caribbean. Considering the data revealed by Gloria Henry, President of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), in a recent symposium, the sector contributed in excess of US$450 million to the country’s economy last year.
Furthermore, Henry added, the BPO workforce is fueling growth in several other sectors, namely security, transportation, retail, food and beverage, insurance, and financial services.
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