Narayan AmmachchiA recent Nearshore Americas trade mission to Honduras has prompted media groups in the country to focus more closely on the local BPO and tech industries, with a daily newspaper estimating an increase of up to 8,000 BPO jobs in 2018.
Foreign BPO firms are trying to capitalize on the easy availability of bilingual speakers in the country, declared Spanish paper La Prensa in a lengthy article containing comments from Honduran officials, such as Peter Fleming, executive director of Honduras 20/20.
“I think the possibilities are pretty big; we already have them here, now we have to convince them,” said Fleming, who also stated that some BPO firms in Costa Rica and Belize were thinking of shifting operations to Honduras.
The two-day investors’ meet, which took place on November 29 and 30, “ended with great expectations for next year,” the paper said, adding that the investor groups assessed the BPO infrastructure in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.
Citing officials, La Prensa also estimates that Honduras services industry will end the year with US$80 million in revenue.
“The conditions for investment are quite attractive,” said Kirk Laughlin, Managing Director at Nearshore Americas. “Not only do I advise [investors] to establish call centers in Honduras, I would also tell them that they can provide other services from the country as well.”
The trade mission was also covered on Honduran television, with one news outlet interviewing many government officials and members of the trade mission, including Laughlin.
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