Cape Town - The City of Cape Town celebrated with the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector on Thursday for adding more than 10 000 local jobs in one year from March 2023 to 2024.
A record 90 000 people are now employed in Cape Town call centres.
To mark this milestone, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayco member for Economic Growth James Vos visited EXL and Teleperformance, two call centres that have made the highest contributions to job creation in the industry in the last year.
The City funds CapeBPO, its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), to provide skills development in the call centre sector and market Cape Town as an ideal location for BPO businesses.
The aim is to create employment, especially for young Capetonians and to stimulate economic growth.
Mayor Hill-Lewis said: “It is fantastic to celebrate the milestone of 10 000 new call centre jobs created in Cape Town in a single year. There are now a record 90 000 people employed in this sector based on CapeBPO records.
“This is not only about providing jobs, but also about upskilling and helping young people to better themselves and their future while contributing to Cape Town’s economy.
“Overall, the BPO sector contributes R21 billion to Cape Town’s economy, and we look forward to welcoming many more new call centres to our city as we keep growing this sector together with partners,” said Hill-Lewis.
Cape Town has become hot property as an internationally sought-after location for BPO businesses and investors.
These BPO companies have contributed to job creation: Teleperformance, EXL Service, Concentrix, WNS, TTEC, Ascensos, IGT Solutions, Boldr Impact, ISON, CCI SA, Foundever, Merchants, A24 Group, Amplify5, iContact, BYC Aqua Solutions, Sourcefit, SA Commercial, Collison SA, Call Force, Global Load Control, Mango 5, Sigma Connected, Ask Osca and Kocho.
Vos said: “The BPO sector stands as a pillar of foreign direct investment in our city. This makes it absolutely clear that far greater job creation can be achieved all across South Africa through public-private partnerships that genuinely invest in our communities, as we are doing here in Cape Town.
“By prioritising this sector, we are not only driving a robust economic environment but also positioning Cape Town as a leading hub for BPO activities on the continent.
“The City will continue to support SPVs such as CapeBPO to help drive skills development, create job opportunities, and stimulate economic growth in our city,” Vos said.
“This milestone of creating another 10 000 new jobs is particularly personal for me. I challenged the Economic Growth team to develop innovative ways to train more Capetonians and took it upon myself to also engage directly with operators to encourage them to establish their businesses here. By doing so, we have successfully integrated our newly trained workforce into meaningful employment opportunities,” Vos said.
CapeBPO has been running various initiatives to drive skills development, including:
- The Afterschools programme, where Grade 11 and 12 learners can go to gain first-hand exposure and training in the BPO industry and its opportunities.
- Sunday School, where unemployed youth attend a three-week course and in the fourth week, there will be an open industry recruitment. They will cover modules targeting work readiness and conversational fluency, among other key skills.
For more information about CapeBPO’s skills development programmes and how to get involved, contact them at info@capebpo.org.za.
Cape Argus