Call centres in Singapore pay at least three times more than their counterparts in India, a news report said on Monday.
A survey by a recruitment firm in Singapore showed that call centres in that that country were recruiting employees at a faster pace, and that high wages did not seem to pose a deterrence.
A recruitment firm, Kelly Services, found that call centre operators in Singapore were on an average paid US $12,668 per annum, The Straits Times said.
The survey, considered to be the first of its kind of the booming Asian call centre industry, showed that call centre staff in Thailand were the lowest paid at 2,616 dollars a year for entry-level staff, and 3,051 dollars a year for experienced staff.
The survey covered 57 call centres across nine countries. Among these, 11 centres were in Singapore, 19 in Malaysia and eight each in India and the Philippines.
It also found that in Asia, percentage of new recruits - those hired in the last six months - was 6.5 per cent of total staff strength.
In Singapore, the percentage was higher at 7 per cent, but still lower than India (12.5 per cent) and Malaysia (7.3 per cent), the paper said.
{{/usCountry}}In Singapore, the percentage was higher at 7 per cent, but still lower than India (12.5 per cent) and Malaysia (7.3 per cent), the paper said.
{{/usCountry}}Industries most keen on hiring Singapore call-centre operators were involved in manufacturing, financial services, hospitality and tourism, as well as those in IT and outsourcing, the paper quoted the survey as saying.