Jamaica’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector has recorded phenomenal growth over the past four decades, transforming from a modest operation in the Montego Bay Free Zone to a sprawling industry encompassing over three million square feet of space islandwide.

This, according to Vice President, BPO and Logistics, Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), Gloria Henry, who notes that this expansion has been fuelled by increasing private sector investment and strategic stakeholder vision to position Jamaica as a key player in the global logistics hub.

She was speaking during the recent media launch for the Global Services Association of Jamaica’s (GSAJ) ‘Outsource to Jamaica’ (O2J) Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The shift from public to private sector dominance has been a key driver of this growth. Up to 15 years ago, the public sector, through the PAJ, was the primary provider of BPO space.

The private sector now accounts for 67 per cent of the occupied space, a testament to the industry’s increasing attractiveness and potential.

“We’re pleased to see that the private sector is the largest provider of facilities in BPO in Jamaica. So of the three million [square feet of space], the public sector is only 33 per cent,” Ms. Henry informed.

The PAJ has been pivotal in catalysing the BPO industry, facilitating its transition from traditional box processing to higher-value services.

“We invested in and supported the transition of this industry into higher value services, from a purely traditional business where we used to pick up boxes at Air Jamaica, process them in the free zone and hurry to catch the next flight out of Jamaica, to where we manage businesses across the world from right here in Jamaica,” Ms. Henry stated.

Meanwhile, Jamaica is being strategically positioned to capitalise on the $1.5 trillion third-party logistics (3PL) space.

The Cayman Special Economic Zone is expected to play a significant role in this endeavour, leveraging the synergies between BPO and 3PL.

Ms. Henry said that in anticipation of this expansion, the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) was rebranded to GSAJ in 2019, to reflect its broader focus on logistics support.

She emphasised that Jamaica’s strategic location, skilled workforce and growing private sector investment further solidify the island’s position as a leading BPO destination and a key player in the global logistics landscape.

The Outsource to Jamaica Conference is slated for the Montego Bay Convention Centre on April 11 under the theme: ‘Driving Excellence’.