Telemarketing is the sector that eliminates jobs the most

Gateway of many Brazilians with lower qualification in the labor market, the profession of telemarketing operator shows signs of exhaustion. According to the General Register of Employees and Unemployed (Caged), the activity was the one that most destroyed jobs in 12 months until September and has not stopped losing vacancies in the last four years. This year, the category of attendants has had the worst result in the vacancy balance (the difference between vacancies opened and closed in the period), with 21,115 fewer jobs. According to experts, with the prohibition of marketing links to registered numbers, the restriction of late-night connections, the advancement of service via robots and changes in advertising channels – going to social networks and applications - the model of calls should still undergo further transformations in the coming years. The number of workers in this role helps tell the recent and dizzying history of the Brazilian economy. When the country grew 7.5% in 2010, the function of teleservice assistant had a record balance. There were almost 40,000 more jobs in 12 months, until September. In 2016, already in the midst of recession, 31,600 jobs were cut, the data compiled by the consultancy LCA were cut. On the economy side, the worsening in retail and services in recent years also helps explain the drop in opportunities for attendants. In Atento alone, the largest private employer in the country, the number of employees fell 11%, when compared to the years 2014, before the recession, and 2019. Today, there are 80, 000 employees. "It's a kind of vacancy that ends up absorbing workers without so much qualification or who are looking to put themselves back in times of crisis," recalls economist Cosmo Donato of lca. He adds that despite recent changes in outsourcing rules, which could strengthen already consolidated call center centers, attendant work has become more vulnerable by bumping into changes in legislation. Last year, the Senate approved a restriction on the hours and days allowed for the customer to receive calls, in addition to the possibility of registering phone numbers from consumers who do not want to receive calls from companies. Busy extension The teleservice sector has suffered from a massive process of automation, says João de Moura, president of the Interstate Federation of Workers and Researchers in Telecommunications Services (Fitratelp). "Companies suffered a lot during the recession and struggled to cut costs. It's cheaper to leave a recording in place of the attendant or create apps for the consumer himself to request a service or make complaints." Luana Almeida, director of Vikstar, an 8,000-employee company, recognizes the changes caused by technology. "There is a shrinking sector, motivated by the introduction of new tools." She recalls that a few years ago, billing errors were much more common than today. "The consumer had even routinely call at the end of the month to the relationship center to check the phone account calls or credit card invoice purchases." The sector also points out that the migration of advertising to social networks and WhatsApp has caused a new cycle of investments in companies, which have now had increasing teams of technology professionals responsible for development and maintenance of applications and virtual service assistants. "Change is inevitable, but this is one of the sectors that employ the most. Nothing replaces the need for the country to qualify this workforce to perform other functions," moura says. 'No wallet, you live one day at a time' At first, it was difficult for piauiense Raíza dos Santos, 28 years old, to get used to customer service of a telephone operator. The work was heavy and the consumer, not always receptive. "I got to win 1 100 reais a month. It may not seem like much, but that money helped support the family. When the crisis in the country tightened, vacancies became more disputed and call center companies started paying less." Unemployed since June, she now makes cakes for parties and to sell on the street at home. He even goes through several neighborhoods of Teresina, changing the stall depending on the day. Some of the orders are for former colleagues who stayed in telemarketing. "I'm still getting the hang of this new job, but depending on the month, I can take between R$ 800 and a thousand reais, while I leave resumes. It's hard to get back to the call center, but I can get some clerk or attendant vacancy. We just can't discourage or lose hope." She now makes plans to return to school and wants to start the technical course of nursing assistant next year. "Before, I could even plan better, knew exactly how much I was going to get into every month and booked a part for my studies and my son's school. Now, it's working and counting on luck. When you don't have a signed license, you end up learning to live one day at a time." The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.