Jamaica Gives Up Its Postal Service Headquarters For BPO Firms

The Jamaican government is relocating its postal service employees in the capital of Kingston in order to free up office space for foreign BPO firms looking to expand operations in the country. That means the historical Central Sorting Office, the headquarters of Jamaica Post, will soon be leased out to BPO firms.

Phillip Paulwell, Jamaica’s Science and Technology Minister, said that the government decided to vacate the post office to meet the growing demand for office space by  outsourcing companies. According to Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Xerox and Sutherland Global Services are gearing up to create 10,000 jobs each.

The minister has also stated that telecom carrier Flow would relocate its 400-seat call center from El Salvador to Jamaica. “They have confirmed… that that will be done. So, it is just a matter of creating space to accommodate those jobs,” he said, according to the newswire.

Although the Central Sorting Office (CSO) is still serving as the headquarters of Jamaica Post, Paulwell says the government is about to begin relocating its employees to a new place.

Once the postal service vacates, Flow will move in and set up its call center. Lack of interest among private real estate firms in building infrastructure for outsourcing firms has long been a debating topic in the Caribbean country.

In an interview with Nearshore Americas last year, Carlene Sinclair, President of the Jamaican Realtors Association, indicated that private developers were cautious about pouring much money into ICT-ready buildings. But in reality, many private builders are constructing large office blocks for outsourcing firms. In the outskirts of Kingston, two private real estate firms are each constructing its own tech park.

The Montego Bay Free Zone is already the centerpiece of BPO infrastructure, which alone has generated over 8,000 jobs. In that city, real estate firm Mark Kerr-Jarrett is building another tech park specifically for BPO companies.

The outsourcing industry is currently the leading job creator in Jamaica. According to reports in the local press, the BPO industry has created 20,000 jobs on the island.