Data protection ambition in India puts UK jobs at risk

The
exodus of UK
call centre jobs could increase as India
falls in line with EU Data Protection Laws, according to experts.

To
cement its reputation as call ‘centre capital of the world’ and reassure
businesses that it can be trusted with the personal data of customers, the
Indian Government has announced plans for the introduction of EU-style data
protection laws.

Stewart
Room,
partner and head of data protection at national law firm Rowe Cohen, said the
consequence of this was that businesses would have more confidence in moving
their call centre operations to India.

"Other
countries, such as Dubai
and Qatar,
are also stepping up their data processing laws and framework,” Room said.
“Outsourcing to these countries looks more attractive than ever before."

However,
separate research by shows the number of UK
call centre jobs could be set to rise.

A
study of 107 companies by information providers Incomes Data Services showed
that most businesses expected the number of UK-based call centre staff to grow
in 2005.

By Michael Millar

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