Narayan AmmachchiThe closure of a facility operated by French BPO giant Teleperformance (TP) in Guyana has ignited a wave of speculation. Whispers have grown so loud that some media outlets are now claiming the entire BPO sector in the Caribbean nation is teetering on the edge of collapse.
The shuttered center, located at the busy intersection of Robb and Camp streets in Georgetown, didn’t go dark overnight. Some reports suggest that chronic absenteeism among employees was the main trigger. Others point to the possible loss of critical client contracts as another contributing factor.
Guyana’s Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, speaking to Guyana Times, blamed the closure on what he described as serious issues with punctuality and work ethic.
“A lot of people apparently are finding jobs elsewhere, so a lot are leaving or some are showing up late,” he said. “They (Teleperformance) operate in a very competitive sector and they have clients abroad and if nobody is there, you can’t keep the quality of the service up,” he added.
Yet, the narrative that Teleperformance is scaling down its presence in Guyana was firmly challenged by Peter Ramsaroop, chief investment officer at GO-INVEST, the country’s investment promotion agency. He insisted the company isn’t pulling out, but upgrading.
“It’s worth noting that they recently rented a brand new building in Georgetown, around 60,000 square feet, plus another 30,000 square feet. That came with a 10-year lease. So, I’m not sure where the message that they’re ‘downsizing’ is coming from,” he wondered.
Nearshore Americas contacted TP’s public relations officer, but she did not reply within a week of being contacted.
Oil Companies Poaching BPO Staff?
Just weeks ago, a group of BPO executives met with Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, seeking the government’s help with staffing and retention challenges.
Soon, several news outlets began pointing fingers at the oil sector. Flush with revenue, the argument went, oil companies are luring away skilled workers from BPOs.
And it’s easy to see why this theory has gained traction — Guyana’s oil boom is reshaping its economic landscape. Between 2022 and 2024, the economy surged, averaging a staggering 47% annual GDP growth. Oil exports and heavy infrastructure investments were the engines behind that momentum.
Looking ahead, the International Monetary Fund forecasts another strong year in 2025. Overall GDP is expected to rise by 10%, with the non-oil sector projected to grow by 13%. It’s a sign that Guyana’s growth is beginning to spread across other industries.
However, the claim that oil firms are poaching BPO staff doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny. “If you’re working in a call center, you wouldn’t necessarily be looking to join an oil company, so that’s not really true,” Ramsaroop said.
Still, rumors often travel faster than facts. The recent exit of Jamaican BPO company Itel from Guyana has only amplified the noise, giving critics more reason to question the sector’s health.
Ramsaroop did admit that Guyana is grappling with a shortage of skilled talent. But he quickly added that such shortages are a hallmark of every fast-growing economies around the globe.
When asked what the government is doing to improve the human capital, he said: “We’re offering a lot of technical training. We’ve recently set up several major technical institutes across the country. Over the last four and a half years, we’ve awarded more than 40,000 scholarships to young people pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees.”
“In addition, we’ve been working closely with the BPO industry. If they require pre-employment training—for example, for high school graduates entering the workforce — the government supports those efforts.”
Georgetown’s Retention Challenge
It is, however, true that retention is one of the biggest hurdles for BPOs in Georgetown. But that’s not the case across the board — call centers outside the city are reportedly thriving.
With more people relocating to outlying areas, the daily commute into Georgetown has become challenging. Ramsaroop explained that for many workers, long commutes involving multiple bus rides aren’t sustainable. The choice becomes obvious when a job opportunity pops up closer to home.
He emphasized that companies must rethink how they support their workforce in this new environment.
“The BPOs need to come up with strategies to retain their employees, offering transportation for some far-flung workers,” he added.
“Remember, the issue is mainly in Georgetown. All the other call centers outside of Georgetown are doing extremely well.”
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