Convergys will be closing down its call centre in Dartmouth, N.S., at the end of the year, affecting more than 130 employees.

Company spokesperson Brooke Beiting said the reason comes down to a combination of a “client decision” to move the operations elsewhere and the expiration on their lease.

The closure is effective Dec. 31. The company has been in Dartmouth since 1998.

Employees milling outside the Dartmouth centre were shocked. The CBC's Yvonne Colbert said one man heard about the news on the radio while he was driving in to work. Another worker only found out when a reporter asked him about the cuts.

Beiting said some employees can relocate to other Convergys centres in the United States or their New Glasgow spot.

Cameron Bruce, past president of Contact Centre Nova Scotia, said the news is “disappointing, but not a five alarm fire.”

He said the call centre business is still thriving in Nova Scotia, with more than 13,000 employees.