Royal & Sun Alliance (R&SA) today announces that it is to transfer 1,200 roles to India over the next two years; claims that the ‘offshoring’ trend will cost jobs are refuted by official statistics which show that call centre employment in the UK is rising.
Transferring front line customer service and back office administration staff to India will save RSA £10m a year says the insurance firm.
Duncan Boyle, RSA’s UK Chief Executive commented: “As far as possible the reduction in UK jobs will be managed through natural turnover and redeployment. We have kept our people informed at all stages and have fully consulted with our union partners and will continue to work closely with them over the next two years.”
The unions are concerned that the ‘offshoring’ trend may present an unprecedented threat to UK jobs and the economy.
Latest findings, however, from Incomes Data Services show that employment levels in UK call centres continues to rise.
According to the survey by Incomes Data Services of 107 organisations employing around 92,000 call centre staff just over half of respondents (58%) report to a year long hiring drive with expectations of more recruitment in the coming year.
Commenting on the findings, Sarah Miller of IDS said: “These findings show that, despite all the worries about work being moved to India, the call centre sector is very much alive in the UK.
“What’s more, we found that most employers in our survey are taking active steps to improve the retention of call centre staff, for example, building in opportunities for career progression and making the working environment more pleasant.”
