High unemployment rates in the U.S. have decreased wages for some low-skilled outsourcing services, particularly among the Hispanic population, making call center workers as cheap to hire in the U.S. as they are in India.
At the same time, wages in India's outsourcing sector have risen 10 percent this year, and senior outsourcing managers based in the country command salaries above global averages.
Pramod Bhasin, chief executive of Genpact, said his company expected to treble its workforce in the U.S. over the next 2 years, from about 1,500 employees now.
“We need to be very aware of what's available as people in the U.S. are open to working at home and working at lower salaries than they were used to,” Bhasin said. “We can hire some seasoned executives with experience in the U.S. for less money.”
While the cost of some senior positions may have equalized with the U.S., and certain call center services may be more cost-effective to set up in depressed areas, this phenomenon may not outlast the U.S. downturn, according to observers.
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