“Thank You for Calling...” A Case Study on the Political Economy of Working in the Call Center Industry

Abstract

The call center industry has been tagged as the “sunshine industry of the Philippines” due to its phenomenal growth in just a short span of time. The Philippines' edge comes from the availability of knowledge-based jobs and workers with the Filipinos' high level of proficiency in English, its strategic location, business-friendly policies, and low cost quality labor. Offering an above-average compensation and benefits, the call center business has attracted qualified Filipino employees despite its shifting work schedules and odd working hours. Although the call center agents enjoy a high salary, in reality this is still extremely low by American Standards, and is actually just about 13% of the US level. Job stability is also being questioned due to the clients’ privilege to pull out their account anytime they want, and there are also health issues that arise due to insufficient sleep caused by the shifting of work schedules, long working hours, and caffeine and nicotine dependence to alleviate sleepiness. This study would dwell on the working condition of call center employees, the recruitment process, the benefits they earned in the call center business, as well as the different difficulties and detriments that they have encountered.