The BPO-arm of an Indian conglomerate Essar Group is planning to open another call centre in the UK, forming part of a “reverse trend” that is bringing jobs back to Britain.

Aegis, the business process outsourcing (BPO) arm of Essar, is planning to open a huge call centre in Glasgow.

The company, which already has a call centre in Manchester with 400 employees, is being held up as a sign of a wider trend.

“Customers often prefer to deal with call centre staff in the UK. Because of this, the Indian company Aegis is looking to create 2,500 jobs in Glasgow, and Santander has done the same,” UK business secretary, Vince Cable said in ‘The Sunday Times.’

“British industry is coming back. Hundreds of companies that have moved manufacturing, call centre work or software to low-cost countries in Asia are bringing the jobs back.

On a business visit to India recently, I was struck by the talk among Indian investors in the UK — there are about 1,000 — of supply chains returning: car components, textiles, IT, call centres, he added.

Aegis, which runs customer service call centres for 300 companies all over the world, is making the move because it believes British customers will have a “cultural affinity” with the people answering the telephone.

“Some 4 million jobs were lost in the past 30 years.”

Cheaper labour and other costs overseas, combined with poor productivity in the UK, drove jobs away.

“The trend is going into reverse. I dare to hope that we shall soon be able to say: Britain’s manufacturing is becoming great again,” Cable said.

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