In the US, the top 20 banks operate an average of 23 call centres each. Transnational corporations have taken advantage of new communication technologies and the lowering costs of telephone calls to make their call centres not just centralised places for processing transactions servicing one country, but several. The UK has become the call centre home of Europe. Half of all European call centres are located there, taking advantage of lower wages. In Scotland, the number of telephonists is predicted to more than double in the next 18 months from 16,000 to 37,000.
Many operators take calls from all parts of Europe.
In some cases the job requires knowledge of a second language. Globally many call centres operate in regional and other areas ravaged by high unemployment where they can readily exploit an army of jobless workers. In Australia, Centrelink and Employment National, the government's semi-privatised welfare and job placement agencies, have shut down numerous offices, while opening up call centres. People seeking assistance and advice often get no further than a remote telephonist. Governments, both national and regional, are competing with one another to attract these centres, offering a range of tax concessions, industry grants and other benefits.