Pay rates for call centre recruits has risen at double the rate of that for existing employees, according to a study from Industrial Relations Services (IRS).
A report said the study showed that pay rates for trainees have increased by 7.7% over the past year, compared with a typical 3% basic pay rise.
The research was based on 350 call centres with 112,000 staff. The report said it would be seen as evidence that call centres were facing recruitment difficulties.
David Carr, editor of the IRS's pay and benefits study, said the major increases in pay for call centre staff had been at the lower and upper ends of the salary scale.
"These reflect the industry's need to attract new recruits with improved salaries on entry and to retain staff through higher rewards to service or performance."
Carr said it would be interesting to see if higher rates of pay could be sustained in the long term. An alternative would be to introduce more flexible working arrangements, or to move call centre jobs overseas, said Carr.
