Nicaragua as a call center option - is it worth outsourcing your call center to Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Here are some hard facts. If you have more questions feel free to email me: mlevine@callcenteradvisors.com.

English-speaking workers are estimated to be around 10% of the country's working-age population.

About two-thirds of the English speaking population are considered "highly proficient" in the language with many having strong familial ties to the US. Other than Dominican Republic no other Latin American country has a higher percentage of its overall population with relatives in the US. This lends this country to having very strong “Americanization” cultural attributes. US companies are showing a new interest in Nicaragua, as labor costs in neighboring Costa Rica and El Salvador rise amid a shortage of qualified English-speakers is starting exist.

Economy

GDP (2008): $6.37 billion.

GDP real growth rate (2008): 3.2%.

Per capita GDP (2008): $1,123.

Inflation rate (2008): 13.8%.

Natural resources: arable land, fresh water, fisheries, gold, timber, hydro and geothermal power potential.

Agriculture and agricultural processing (31% of GDP): Products--coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans, beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, lobsters.

Manufacturing (10% of GDP): Types--food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood.

Services (55% of GDP): Types--banking, wholesale and retail distribution, telecommunications, and energy.

Construction (4% of GDP): Types--housing and infrastructure.

Trade (2008): National exports--$1.489 billion (f.o.b.): coffee, shrimp and lobster, beef, sugar, industrial goods, gold, bananas. Free trade zone exports--$1.153 billion: mostly textiles and apparel, automobile wiring harnesses, cigars. Markets--United States, Central American Common Market, European Union (EU), Mexico, Japan. Imports--$4.02 billion (f.o.b.) (2008)--consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products. Free trade zone imports--$830.6 million. Suppliers--U.S. 22.5%, Mexico 13.5%, Costa Rica 8.4%, Venezuela 6.4%, Guatemala 6.2%, El Salvador 4.8% (2007).