In the face of a worsening economy and rising unemployment—even Internet heavyweight Google recently laid off 200 workers—jobs that may have once been deemed relatively unappealing are attracting hundreds of applicants. A school-janitor position in Ohio, for example—offering less than $16 per hour plus benefits—brought in more than 700 desperate job-seekers; a two-day job fair for 500 seasonal jobs at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium drew 7,000 people. With nationwide demand reaching historic levels—California’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to 11.2 percent in March—analysts believe the un- and underemployed may find compelling opportunities in the contact center industry, particularly now that human resources departments and contact center managers seem to have discovered the power of social networking.
 
Contact centers have always been plagued by rampant attrition—see our August 2008 cover story, “Calling It Quits,” for more on the subject—and even a difficult economic climate doesn’t cure the industry of the problem. Research by Chicago-based FurstPerson, a consultancy providing contact centers with employment-related screening software and outsourcing services, finds that the average monthly attrition rate for contact center outsourcing companies in 2008 was 8.7 percent; internal centers fared better, at 5.7 percent.
 
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