Call centres in Canada experienced an annual average increase in revenue of nearly 28 per cent between 1998 and 2006, according to a newly released study.

The industry's revenues climbed rapidly from just over $400 million in 1998 to almost $2.8 billion in 2006, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

There were, on average, 6.8 call centres per 10,000 business establishments nationwide during the period studied.

Newfoundland and Labrador	7.1
Prince Edward Island	15.8
Nova Scotia	5.6
New Brunswick	13.1
Quebec	7.0
Ontario	8.4
Manitoba	6.0
Saskatchewan	4.4
Alberta	4.2
British Columbia	5.3

Call centres are disproportionately found in certain provinces, located in smaller urban areas with higher unemployment and a relatively educated labour force, the study found.

The numbers were highest in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Ontario. In contrast, in the Western provinces, where labour markets are tighter, there was a lower-than-average number of telephone call centres.

The study did not include numbers for Canada's three territories.

The agency said it found two clear trends in the telephone call centre industry. First, employment and revenue growth has significantly exceeded that of other service industries and, secondly, much of this growth is concentrated geographically.

New Brunswick greatly increased the number of call centres located the province in the early 1990s through government incentives. It now has centres from a number of major companies, including the Royal Bank, Purolator Courier and IBM.