Quote:
Originally Posted by cdnguys
Exxon dubs it a business resource centre. Many of the jobs are high paying, skilled positions. Call centres do fill a niche - many are second incomes or employ a group that may not have the skills for a trades job
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That might be true but it isn’t the larger point I was trying to drive home. If Saint John (and the whole of NB for that matter) wants to build long-term economic growth then the money needs to be invested on the quality of the jobs and not the quantity. The jobs at this Exxon Call Center might be an exception in terms of salaries but they are still in an operational cost-centric industry…meaning that they are at a higher-risk for ensuring long-term sustainability. As soon as the cost-benefit evaporates, the jobs are gone.
This type of investment decision making has always been an issue in New Brunswick. The strategy has always been “Sell our cost-benefit advantage to get jobs, get as many jobs as possible, and get them here as fast as we can”.
There is no shortage of jobs keeping younger people in New Brunswick from the wilds of Alberta or elsewhere. The problem is that the jobs aren’t as high-paying nor do they offer the long-term career stability. If the province truly wants to change things they need to focus less on the region’s “cost-benefits” and more on niches that make it a preferred choice asset-wise as opposed to cost-wise.
If India can service customers in an in-bound call-centre more cost-effectively, then the industry in NB needs to focus on developing specialized administrative expertise (i.e. insurance underwriting, pension administration, or investor support services) not relying on cost-benefit. If China can manufacture things for a lower cost the province should focus on scarce natural resources desired globally but plentiful in NB’s backyard (i.e. Potash, Natural Gas, or related minerals).
Finally, if NB already has established companies with global reach, the province needs to help them grow to keep existing jobs local and create more jobs (i.e. getting a second refinery for Irving, helping Moosehead expand into more global markets, or seeing Assumption Vie acquire more insurance customers nationally).
The point of my post was that it is refreshing to see news of such investment starting to take shape in Saint John. However, this ongoing historical reliance on “cost-benefit” to move jobs to the province simply isn’t a sustainable strategy anymore.
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