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hat do Air France KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Shell Petroleum have in common? Not much at first glance, but they all have recently opened customer-contact or technical-support centers in Chile. Similarly Citigroup, Software AG and Unilever all have opened software development or shared services centers in Chile in recent years. And a host of global outsourcing services providers are setting up shop in Santiago and elsewhere in Chile despite a wide range of location options elsewhere in Latin America.

This editorial profile of investment opportunities in Chile was prepared by the staff of Conway Data Inc., under the auspices of Invest@Chile-CORFO.    For information on Site Selection editorial surveys, contact Mark Arend, Editor, at mark.arend bounce@conway.com or (770) 325-3438.

   Latin American markets are competing aggressively for foreign investment with which to stabilize their economies. But those charged with carefully analyzing location options soon find what their counterparts at the companies mentioned earlier found: Only Chile offers a degree of political and economic stability comparable to the locations from which they are investing, such as Western Europe and the United States.
   Supply and affordability of workers – especially English-speaking ones to the extent the company services customers in the U.S. – and the labor pool's work ethic also can determine whether a Latin American location makes it onto a site seekers' short list.