A newly proposed law in the United States is threatening call center jobs in the Philippines and other countries by withdrawing incentives from American firms that outsource their operations.
Introduced by New York 1st District Rep. Tim Bishop, the proposed US Call Center and Consumer Protection Act seeks “to bar corporations that sent US call center jobs overseas from receiving federal grants and loans,” the solon said in a statement Wednesday (US time).
The bill, which was co-sponsored by Reps. Dave McKinley, Mike Michaud, and Gene Green, also “requires overseas call center employees to disclose their location to US consumers and gives customers the right to be transferred to a US-based call center upon request.”
“It’s common sense that we should not be rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas while millions of qualified Americans are looking for work,” Bishop said. “Taxpayer dollars should only be used to incentivize good corporate citizens who create American jobs.”
In an interview with reporters, Bishop called outsourcing “one of the scourges of our economy,” according to “The Huffington Post.” "We can’t prohibit it, but we can certainly discourage it,” Bishop reportedly said.
GMA News Online is still trying to reach Philippine authorities for comment as of this posting.
No. 1 call center hub
The Philippines will likely bear the brunt of the proposed law as the country has surpassed India as the world’s number one call center hub, according to a recent report on “The New York Times.”
“It helps that Filipinos learn American English in the first grade, eat hamburgers, follow the NBA and watch the TV show ‘Friends’ long before they enter a call center,” said the report by Indian correspondent Vikas Bajaj.
A large number of young Filipinos troop to call centers right after graduation due to lack other job opportunities, among other things.
Some observers, however, have criticized the business process outsourcing industry Philippines for supposedly stagnating the minds of its youth.
Ramon Magsaysay awardee Harish Hande — an Indian national — has warned the Philippines against a call center culture that produces “glorified secretaries” who have become pessimistic about their future.
