Canadian call centers experienced an annual average increase in revenue of nearly 28% between 1998 and 2006, according to Statistics Canada.

In the country, telephone call centers are located disproportionately in smaller urban areas with higher unemployment and a labor force with a relatively high rate of postsecondary education, the report found.

In addition, the report found that on average, there were 6.8 call centers per 10,000 business establishments nationwide. However, the numbers for Prince Edward Island (15.8), New Brunswick (13.1) and Ontario (8.4) were considerably higher. In contrast, in the Western provinces, where labor markets are tighter, there was a lower than average number of telephone call centers.

Industry revenues climbed rapidly from just over $400 million in 1998 to almost $2.8 billion in 2006, an average annual increase of 27.7%. By comparison, the overall economy expanded at an average annual rate of 5.9% in the same period. Over two-thirds of the industry's revenue growth was generated by call centers in Ontario, the report also found.