Over the past 15 years, employment in call centers worldwide grew by an average of around 4% annually. However, this trend has begun to change with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). According to an analysis published by Revelio Labs in October 2026, global call center employment has declined by 5.3% from its peak in December 2023.
The significance of this shift goes beyond the jobs being lost. In many countries, call centers have provided young people with an entry point into the formal labor market, opportunities to gain work experience, and a pathway to better-paid positions. Companies are now transferring some customer service tasks to AI systems.
Forecasts from international organizations also indicate that significant changes are expected in the labor market. However, this does not mean that all professions will disappear. Some tasks will be automated, demand for certain positions will decline, and new opportunities will emerge in others.
Call center job losses: early evidence of AI’s impact
According to Revelio Labs, global call center employment has fallen by 5.3% from its peak in December 2023. Since the quarterly data series began in 2009, employment had increased in most quarters, while annual declines have been recorded over the last eight quarters.
This trend coincides with the widespread adoption of AI. Call centers are considered one of the sectors particularly vulnerable to AI because many customer inquiries involve repetitive questions, order tracking, payment information, and the resolution of routine problems.
Chatbots and AI voice agents can perform these tasks. They can respond to numerous inquiries simultaneously, analyze customer histories, and provide human operators with the information they need.
Nevertheless, it would be inaccurate to attribute the decline in employment solely to AI. Corporate cost-cutting, slower hiring following the pandemic, and changes in business processes may also play a role. Revelio Labs found that call center employment has performed worse than employment in other office-based occupations. This strengthens the possibility that AI is having an impact, but it does not prove that AI is responsible for every job lost.
Companies can reduce hiring without laying off existing employees
Another important finding of the study is that the decline may be driven primarily by slower hiring rather than widespread layoffs. In the 12 middle-income countries examined by Revelio Labs, the rate of new hires entering call centers fell from 25.1 per 100 employees in November 2022 to 17.2. The rate of employees leaving also declined, but more slowly, from 22.3 to 18.5 per 100 employees.
As a result, companies can reduce their workforce by leaving vacancies unfilled or hiring fewer new employees while retaining some of their existing staff.
This creates a particular challenge for young professionals. When entry-level positions become less available, candidates with limited work experience may find it harder to enter the labor market in the first place.
Which countries are most affected?
Assessing AI’s impact requires looking beyond a country’s level of technological development. It is also important to consider the types of services on which its economy depends.
The Philippines and Kenya. According to Revelio Labs, call center employment in the Philippines declined by approximately 10% in the period following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. In Kenya, it fell by 6% over the most recent 18-month period covered by the analysis. In both countries, providing customer support and other business services to international companies is an important economic activity.
An IMF study reported that the Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) sector generated approximately $35.5 billion in revenue in 2023 and employed 1.7 million people. According to the study, the sector represented economic activity equivalent to approximately 7–8% of the country’s economy.
If international companies use AI to reduce customer service costs, the consequences may extend beyond individual employees to countries that earn revenue from exporting business services.
The United States and other high-income countries. The effects of AI are also becoming visible in high-income economies. According to projections from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of customer service representatives could decline by 5.5% between 2024 and 2034. This is a US-specific occupational forecast; it does not mean that the same rate of decline is expected worldwide.
China and Nigeria. Revelio Labs’ analysis notes that call center employment continues to grow in some markets, including China and Nigeria. This suggests that demand, the expansion of domestic markets, and country-specific economic conditions can influence how technology affects employment.
AI’s impact, therefore, cannot be explained solely by a country’s wealth. Dependence on repetitive services, companies’ readiness to automate, and the emergence of new business activities are also important factors.
Which sectors are most vulnerable to AI-driven job changes?
In a 2025 study, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that approximately one in four workers worldwide is employed in an occupation with some exposure to generative AI. However, only 3.3% of global employment falls into the category with the highest potential for automation.
These figures measure the potential for AI to transform occupational tasks, not the number of jobs that will necessarily disappear. The sectors most likely to be affected include:
1. Customer service and call centers. AI can handle repetitive questions, categorize inquiries, track orders, and resolve routine problems. Human involvement will remain important for complex complaints, negotiations, and emotionally sensitive situations.
2. Administrative and office work. Tasks such as processing documents, entering data, scheduling meetings, preparing reports, and responding to emails can be automated.
3. Accounting, finance, and insurance. Preliminary calculations, standardized reports, document checks, and some analytical tasks can be performed more quickly with AI. However, oversight, legal accountability, complex financial decisions, and customer relations do not necessarily lend themselves to complete automation.
4. Translation, content creation, and marketing. AI can quickly generate text, translations, advertising variations, and preliminary analyses. However, fact-checking, strategic planning, creative decision-making, and understanding audiences still depend on human expertise.
5. Programming and technical services. AI can accelerate coding, debugging, and documentation. This may reduce demand for certain routine tasks while increasing demand for professionals who develop, integrate, secure, and manage AI systems.
How much could the labor market change over the next 10 years?
There is no single reliable forecast of how many jobs will disappear across all countries and occupations by 2035. Global projections through 2030 should therefore be distinguished from country-specific forecasts extending to 2034 or 2035.
By 2030: both job creation and job losses
In its 2025 Future of Jobs Report, the World Economic Forum (WEF) projected that economic, demographic, and technological changes could produce the following outcomes by 2030:
- 170 million new jobs created;
- 92 million existing jobs displaced;
- a net increase of 78 million jobs.
These estimates cover more than AI. They also account for the green transition, demographic shifts, economic uncertainty, and other factors. Furthermore, the projections are based on employers’ expectations and are not guaranteed outcomes.
By 2034: which occupations could decline in the United States?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projections for 2024–2034 suggest that advances in AI and information technology could increase demand for some occupations while reducing it for others.
| Occupation | Projected change, 2024–2034 |
|---|---|
| Data scientists | +33.5% |
| Information security analysts | +28.5% |
| Software developers | +15.8% |
| Customer service representatives | −5.5% |
| Purchasing agents | −8.7% |
| Credit checkers | −6.2% |
These projections show that technological change will not affect all occupations in the same direction. Demand for professionals who can work with technology may increase while the need for workers performing certain standardized tasks declines. These figures should not be applied directly to Uzbekistan. Its labor market, wage levels, degree of digitalization, and economic structure differ from those of the United States.
What is the main risk for developing countries?
AI’s impact should not be measured solely by the number of jobs lost. Another important question is whether new jobs will emerge to replace declining positions and whether existing workers will be able to transition into them.
Revelio Labs’ findings highlight a significant gap. In the 12 middle-income countries examined, 49.7% of workers who left call center jobs moved into other customer service, sales, or office roles. Only 10.8% transitioned into potentially higher-paid fields such as technical support, strategic customer relations, software, or data-related work.
The emergence of demand for new occupations does not automatically mean that former employees will benefit from these opportunities. Retraining, experience, language proficiency, and new skills are often required.
A 2026 study by the ILO and the World Bank also highlights this challenge in developing economies. These countries may face a lower risk of automation than advanced economies, but limitations in internet access, digital infrastructure, and relevant skills can also restrict their ability to improve productivity through AI.
As a result, developing countries may face two risks simultaneously: some existing jobs may disappear, while the capacity to create new and more productive jobs remains insufficient.
What does this mean for Uzbekistan?
To assess AI’s impact on Uzbekistan, particular attention should be paid to services exports, the IT sector, business process outsourcing, and young people’s access to employment.
The World Bank’s 2025 Digital Progress and Trends Report examines Uzbekistan among the countries developing their digital services exports. The report notes that local companies are experimenting with AI tools, including for recruitment, HR processes, and content creation, while challenges related to skilled workers, infrastructure, and regulation remain.
Three areas are particularly important for Uzbekistan.
First, move beyond basic service provision. If companies compete primarily by answering routine inquiries, entering data, and performing simple administrative tasks, AI could reduce the value of these services. Developing more complex technical support, data analytics, software development, cybersecurity, and strategic customer management will become increasingly important.
Second, prepare young people for emerging occupations. Skills in using AI tools, analyzing data, working in English, and solving complex problems are becoming increasingly valuable. Teaching people how to use AI alone is not enough. Workers must also be able to verify AI-generated results, identify errors, and understand their responsibility for final decisions.
Third, use AI to improve productivity. According to the World Bank’s 2026 World Development Report materials, 4.5% of existing jobs in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of automation through generative AI, while productivity could improve significantly in 16.2% of jobs. These figures are not specific forecasts for Uzbekistan; they represent broader estimates for low- and middle-income economies.
Uzbekistan has an opportunity to integrate AI into business processes from the outset rather than simply automate outdated systems. Achieving this will require investment in digital infrastructure, high-quality data, tools that work in local languages, and practical skills.
One of the most significant changes is that companies may be able to perform certain tasks with fewer employees. This can improve efficiency, but if new jobs are not created in sufficient numbers or existing workers cannot transition into them, the economic benefits may not be distributed evenly across society.
