Call center numbers and agent positions in the United States are projected to decrease, according to research by Datamonitor, an independent market analysis firm. The report, The Vertical Guide to Contact Centers in North America to 2008, predicts that Canada will be the major benefactor of America's loss.

Currently, the United States is home to 2.86 million agents in 50,600 call centers. By 2008, Datamonitor expects this figure to shrink to 2.72 million agents spread throughout 47,500 call centers.

Datamonitor attributes a large proportion of the decrease to the outsourcing of customer services to offshore locations such as Canada, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. Canada is projected to increase its number of call centers by 800 between now and 2008, with the addition of 93,000 customer representatives. Although part of this growth can be attributed to the natural growth of existing call centers and newly built call centers, some of it will be the direct result of outsourcing from the United States.

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