Always On Call? The Competitiveness of the UK's Call Centre Industry

As the UK de-industrialised over the past twenty-five years, many new jobs were created in the service sector. Part of this major structural change involved the development of call centres, handling the customer service operations of businesses in, for example, the rapidly-growing financial services sector of the economy. But what do these centres actually do? Are they the modern equivalent of the 'sweatshops' of the early industrial period? Are the jobs they provide worth having? And what competitive forces threaten the success of the UK call centre industry, as firms are able to relocate operations overseas? In this 'Argument' our two talking heads consider whether the UK will be 'always on call'.