In Colombia, call centers replace coffee culture
| FEATURE |
 |
MANIZALES — In Manizales, in the heart of Colombia’s prime coffee production zone, officials have found the solution to volatile commodity prices and raging unemployment: call centers.
The city of 380,000 people — nestled in the Andes mountains in the central department of Caldas, about 175 kilometers northwest of the capital Bogota — is attracting multinational firms and putting residents back to work.
Authorities in Manizales did everything to keep the coffee trade afloat.
“We tried to increase production, the number of hectares used. We also tried to specialize in a quality niche coffee, but nothing seemed to work. Meanwhile, Brazil solidified its position as the world’s top coffee producer,” city mayor Juan Llano told AFP..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111017com3.html
1 comment
huwag n'yong kalilimutan na malakas uminom ng kape ang call center agents, kaya buhayin n'yo pa rin ang industriya ng kape ninyo.
"Spanish firms Digitex and Emergia have 4,000 and 2,100 employees in the city, respectively. They offer services in Spanish to about 40 clients in Europe, the United States and Latin America, including AT&T and Movistar.
"According to official city data, 9,800 jobs have been created in the sector in a four-year period. Seventy percent of those jobs have gone to women, many of whom have husbands who were laid off from the coffee plantations."
Post a Comment