Invest in Guatemala (IIG), the economic development agency based in Guatemala City, recently lost 12 of 15 staff members in a sweeping layoff that has many in the local outsourcing industry wondering: What is the government thinking?

The agency is a key catalyst in promoting the BPO/outsourcing sector in Guatemala, and also helps attract investment into other industries such as agriculture, tourism, energy and manufacturing.

The news is a big shock to many who have come to recognize the Guatemala government as having an enlightened approach to attracting foreign investment.  IIG staff are charged with facilitating discussions between local service providers in the BPO sector and foreign clients. Most of the clients are from the US, and those formative relationships – cultivated by IIG – are built oftentimes on trust and continuity.

There is nothing more alarming for an foreign investor to …

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During last week’s  IAOP Central America conference, I had the unique pleasure to spend some time with Ingrid Jacobs, a high energy and enthusiastic champion of near shore outsourcing in Guatemala. She is a senior advisor in the government-supported Invest in Guatemala agency.

Ingrid played a major role in driving the success of the  conference  – pulling together logistics, orchestrating sponsors and driving registration – all in a span of about six weeks.

Ingrid reports that:

The number of BPO employee in Guatemala has roughly doubled in the last 6 months, rising to 12,000 FTEs.
The government is increasingly focused on bi-lingual education, both in near term and long term.
Attracting firms seeking support for ITO functions is becoming a major initiative for …

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