TELEPHONE jobs that might have come to Medway could be lost to cheaper workers in India. Call centre operations, singled out by inward investment agency Locate in Kent (LiK) as an important target for jobs growth in the county, are being wooed to the sub-continent.

The promise of a low-cost but well-educated workforce is tempting many firms to switch call centres to New Delhi, Calcutta, Hyderabad or Bangalore. More than 65,000 British call centre jobs have already gone to India in the past year, according to Medway businessman Debasish Sen, and thousands more could be on their way.

Mr Sen, the boss of Marketing, Innovation and Research (MIR) in Culpeper Close, Medway City Estate, says savings for British firms could be as high as 40 per cent. He is using this sales pitch to target firms in Medway, Kent and nationwide in a drive that could thwart LiK's best marketing efforts.

Mr Sen, who comes from Calcutta, said: "When companies are genuinely interested in saving costs and their call centre operations are expanding, I'm sitting down with them and working out the commercial and technical feasibility."

Firms would save just five per cent in the first year, taking setting up costs into consideration. But in the second year, savings would soar to 40 per cent and "go straight to the bottom line".

Mr Sen said he did not want to work against Locate in Kent. While LiK was targeting larger concerns, he was looking for companies with 20-seat call centres.

Medway already has one of the largest call centres in the south east, with NatWest employing 800 people in Chatham Maritime. Yet its high street rival HSBC has already switched some of its call centre operations to Hyderabad.

In this country, call centres have a sweatshop image. But in India, they are seen as plum jobs, attractive to graduates and paying above average salaries equivalent to some £2,500 and far higher than the typical £12,000 salary in Britain.

Mr Sen said: "The great strength of India is being part of the old Raj. There's a lot of English-speaking talent there and Indians have a good work ethic." India is not the only threat to the county's efforts to attract call centres. South Africa, Malaysia and The Philippines are coming up on the rails.

Paul Wookey, Locate in Kent chief executive, said: "It's highly unlikely that any of our operations would seek an Indian location. We believe the opportunities we offer are significant and I would like to think that we are able to compete with India and any other possible destinations."