economy
The AI boom hasn’t stopped U.S. companies from hiring cheap offshore labor, and overseas call center employment is still skyrocketing
In September 2025, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said the company slashed 4,000 customer service roles:“I need less heads,” Benioff said at the time.
TL;DR
- Call center employment in the Philippines has nearly doubled from 2016 to 2025, reaching 2 million workers.
- Unemployment rates in the Philippines and India have decreased, suggesting AI has not displaced offshore workers.
- Jevons paradox explains that increased efficiency (AI making call center work cheaper and faster) leads to increased consumption (companies buying more of it).
- AI is boosting productivity for call center workers, with some studies showing significant increases in agent efficiency.
- While AI can increase efficiency, human limitations and the value of human interaction may still sustain the need for human customer service agents.