An Access Economics report is talking up the international competitiveness of Tasmania’s call centre industry.

The report found that the cost of running a call centre in regional Tasmania compares favourably with larger offshore rivals in countries where labour is cheaper.

Access Director, Ian Harper, says businesses looking at going offshore need to consider the hidden costs like international travel and reduced efficiency due to language and cultural differences.

“The more you start thinking about the other dimensions of cost, then you tend to find that the near-shore locations do much better and under some scenarios.”

“A near-shore scenario actually dominates an offshore location like India or the Phillipines,” he said.