The decline began in high-income countries and spread across income groups, though China and Nigeria still show growth. In 12 middle-income countries, call-center headcount diverged from other white-collar roles after ChatGPT’s launch. The report says the pattern is consistent with a possible AI contribution, while also noting pandemic-hiring correction and cost-cutting as alternative explanations.
The labor-flow data point to a hiring slowdown rather than a surge in departures: entry into call-center work fell from 25.1 to 17.2 per 100 workers since November 2022, while exits fell from 22.3 to 18.5. Among workers leaving call-center roles, 10.8% moved into technical support, customer success, or software and data; half entered other customer service, sales, or office jobs. Revelio Labs says those who make the move to selected growing occupations can see higher pay, but most do not reach them.