The Office Gurus Eyeing Jamaica for Third Nearshore Contact Center

US call center services provider The Office Gurus is reportedly planning to expand operations to Jamaica.

The BPO provider is expected to set up shop in Kingston, reported local daily the Jamaica Gleaner, citing the company’s filing with the US stock exchange.

Jamaica will be The Office Gurus’ third nearshore location after El Salvador and Belize, offering English-language customer services.

A subsidiary of Superior Group of Companies, The Office Gurus posted US$6.8 million in revenue for the second quarter of this year.

The possible expansion of The Office Gurus in the nearshore region was first hinted by Superior Group’s CEO Michael Benstock in May this year. In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Benstock said a lack of entry-level workers was hampering the growth of the company in the United States.

“The low unemployment rate means fewer workers are available for hire,” said the executive, adding that the BPO would add more workers in other offices to compensate. “We might take some of the more entry level jobs and move them to El Salvador and promote people to higher level jobs in Tampa Bay,” he continued.

This lack of workers in Florida was likely the catalyst for the company to expand operations in Jamaica, where it is far easier to hire entry-level workers.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the number of BPO jobs in the country has now exceeded 31,000, with  Kingston becoming a hotspot for call center companies.