Outsourcing Buyers See Reason to Question Asia’s Dominance
April 30th, 2013
Porter of Humana points to importance of local firms
By Paul McDougall
It is one thing for investment agencies and Nearshore vendors to promote Latin America sourcing but when buyers start to become vocal champions, it’s a good idea to hear their rationale. “People tend to have a myopic view about outsourcing, we only think about India,” said Anthony Porter, director of IT Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Strategy at U.S. health insurance provider Humana.
Rising Wages and Inflation Damage the Luster of Costa Rica
April 23rd, 2013
Stream’s Salazar: “Almost impossible” finding talent at right price
Out of nowhere, Costa Rica is described as “another Puerto Rico”
By Narayan Ammachchi
Rising wages and inflation are threatening to undermine Costa Rica’s outsourcing sector, with several outsourcing firms scaling down operation and fleeing to cheaper locations. Costa Rica has the highest rate of inflation in all of Central America and the country’s currency Colon too has continued to rise against the US dollar. Inflation in February was 6.52 percent, the highest since 2009 and beyond the central bank’s target of 5 percent, according to Bloomberg.
Alorica Opening Shows Dominican Republic Cannot be Overlooked
April 23rd, 2013
By Peter Ryan
Alorica’s recent inauguration of is contact center in Santo Domingo was an eye-opener for Ovum analysts who traveled to participate in the event. Getting a perspective on what had become a somewhat overlooked delivery location in recent times being refreshed with one of the Caribbean’s most advanced contact centers provided a valuable insight into the potential future of the country’s industry. In Ovum’s view, the Dominican Republic carries opportunity for vendors (and their clients), providing more opportunities for site diversification and added-value multilingual service delivery from the very competitive Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) region.
President Obama Schedules Visits to Mexico and Costa Rica
March 28th, 2013By Narayan Ammachchi
President Obama is set to visit Mexico and Costa Rica in the first week of May to strengthen economic ties.
“This trip is an important opportunity to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America,” states the press release from the White House.
Obama will meet his Mexican counterpart President Peña Nieto and discuss ways to deepen the economic and commercial partnerships with the two countries. In Costa Rica, the President is slated to meet with President Laura Chinchilla, as well as heads of state of the other Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.
“The trip will be an important chance to discuss our collective efforts to promote economic growth and development in Central America and our ongoing collaboration on citizen security,” stated the White House.
By Narayan Ammachchi
HP is gearing up to relocate a part of its global services center in Costa Rica to the Indian city of Bangalore, leaving 400 people jobless. The U.S. tech giant has not explained what caused its decision, but analysts believe rising wages and dwindling English-speaking workforce in the Central American country has long been a concern for the Silicon Valley company.
Buying a Business in Costa Rica In Four Simple Steps
January 30th, 2013
Fervoy: Specialty shops are hottest targets
By Tarun George
In October of last year, global outsourcing giant Accenture bought a midsize digital marketing and entertainment provider, avVenta. With offices in New York and San Jose, Costa Rica, the acquisition only added to Accenture’s already enormous service capability. There was nothing earth-shattering about the deal, and the buzz surrounding it soon died down. Nonetheless, this marked a growing trend we’ve been noticing at Nearshore Americas: US companies are increasingly looking to buy businesses in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Generates Over 8,000 Jobs in High Tech Sourcing in 2012
January 14th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
Costa Rica received as many as 40 investments in the high-technology industry in 2012 and they generated more than 8,000 direct jobs, according to the country’s investment promotion agency (CINDE).
Companies in technology sector generated over US$574 million and also played a major role in helping the country increase FDI inflow.
The high-tech sector, according to Foreign Commerce director, Anabel González, boosted the overall performance of the economy as it increased exports and job opportunities for Costa Ricans.
González said jobs created by the high-tech sector accounted for 25% of formal employment generated by the private sector in 2012.
Companies who invested in the country last year are from India, Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, England and Colombia. “The services sector once more registered the greatest number of projects (19) and represented 62 percent of the total jobs generated,” said Gabriela Llobet, …
Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Contends for Role as Chief of WTO
January 7th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Minister Anabel González has been named as a candidate for the post of WTO (World Trade Organization) Director General.
If elected, González would assume office by the end of this year, replacing Frenchman Pascal Lamy.
Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla has praised hes foreign minister saying she is “positively recognized” by the international community. González headed the WTO Agricultural Division between 2005 and 2009.
According to Costa Rica News, González has promised that if elected she would create an agenda to drive growth and development in all countries. According to the paper, she negotiated the free trade agreement (FTA) between Central America and the United States.
Gonzalez, who became the foreign trade minister in May 2010, had shouldered the responsibility of formulating and implementing trade and investment policies in the country.
“I will make every effort to support the candidacy of this great Costa Rican, who …
Convergys Opens Fourth Contact Center in Costa Rica
December 10th, 2012BY STAFF REPORT
Convergys Corporation is seeking to hire as many as 500 people in San Jose, Costa Rica, where the global BPO provider has opened its fourth contact center.
The new facility is located on Boulevard de Rohrmoser in San Jose.
Convergys already has more than 2000 employees working at its contact centers in Heredia and San Jose, making it among the largest global services employers in the country. (Other well known foreign companies in the services space include HP, IBM and Infosys, which last month revealed its plans for Costa Rica.)
President Laura Chinchilla, who was present at the launch event, expressed support for Convergys’ expanding footprint in the country. Costa Rica’s trade promoter CINDE has stated that Convergys had now become one of the ten leading employers in the service sector.
“With the expansion, the company reaffirms the vote of confidence it has placed in our country and …
Looking for Happiness? You’ll Find It Living Closer to the Equator
December 7th, 2012By Narayan Ammachchi
As much of the U.S. prepares for cold, grey days over the next few months, down at the Galápagos Island in Ecuador, fish swim playfully in a climate that sees little variation throughout the year.
Does a moderate climate and long sunny days potentially induce humans to live life more happily? It’s a question some researchers recently tackled at the University of Vermont. They found ‘happiness rises and falls with distance from the equator.’ In other words, the closer you live to the equator the happier you feel.
People in sunny, outdoorsy states like Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida say they’re the happiest Americans, according to similar study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which based its findings on a survey 1.3 million people across the country.
Lack of sunshine means low mood and lack of vigor. Research …
