This is pampering with a purpose. In the last four years more than 60 multinationals, from American Airlines to Xerox, have chosen Ireland as the site for call centers covering the European time zone. The number of “teleworkers” in the country climbed from near zero to 7,000 and looks set to hit 10,000 this year. Book a Lufthansa flight or a Hertz car anywhere in Europe and most likely the call will be routed through Ireland. Many of the jobs require not just high-tech skills but a flawless command of another language. That means tough competition to staff the desks. Ireland alone can’t hope to meet the demand, even though the government is now sponsoring special training courses. Employers must trawl Europe with generous offers—salaries begin at about €16,600—to land the right recruits.

Ireland’s charms for overseas investors are well known. Low costs, an efficient telecom system and a steady stream of computer-savvy graduates have lured scores of U.S. firms. For call centers, Irish accents arouse none of the historical antagonism that can arise between mainland Europeans, says Brendan Halpern of the Irish Development Agency. “We sneak in without too much baggage.” And for foreign recruits, most of whom are single twentysomethings, hyperhip Dublin is a huge draw. Even so, the demand for labor is outstripping supply. “We’re recruiting like crazy,” says Aidan Donnelly of Xerox, who’s looking to fill more than 500 new call-center posts near Dublin by the end of the year. “No matter what your skills are we have something for you here.”

Prosperity does have its costs. Traffic clogs the streets and the price of housing has soared in line with an economy that grew 10 percent last year. That’s one reason companies are looking again at alternative sites. Britain is one rival. The country already has more jobs in call centers than in coal mining, steel—and carmaking combined, although the huge majority are serving only the British market. More promising are the Low Countries, an area with criss-crossing linguistic and national frontiers where a mastery of three or four languages is commonplace. Says Stephen Morrell, who has studied the call-center industry for consultant Datamonitor: “If ever you have spoken to a Dutchman you’ll know that their English is better than ours.” OK, there isn’t the same lifestyle draw; but what about the savings on recruitment? Even in call centers, money talks.