South Africa’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is at an inflection point as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption gathers pace.
This was the view of delegates who spoke on Tuesday at the BPESA Global Business Services (GBS) and BPO Conference and Alchemy Awards at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
South Africa has, over the past decade, moved from being primarily a local call-centre market to becoming a centre for international global business services. This
It’s an exciting week for the Global Business Services (GBS) and business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as the BPESA GBS | BPO Conference & Alchemy Awards 2026 gets under way in Cape Town. Hosted by Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 10 and 11 November under the theme ‘Thrive’, the conference brings together industry leaders, global investors and stakeholders around collaboration, growth and South Africa’s global
South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector is growing well beyond the contact centre operations that have traditionally characterised its offering. According to a recent report commissioned by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development (Skillsboost 2026 -towards a digitally ready Western
MEDIA STATEMENT
· 180 000 sector jobs created over 10 years: 90% new hires are youth
· Growth supported by impact sourcing strategies and government incentives
· Impact sourcing key to creating 350,000 to 500,000 cumulative new jobs by 2030.
South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector is internationally recognised for its leadership in impact sourcing, a socially responsible hiring methodology that builds the intentional recruitment and upskilling of socio-economically
South Africa’s global business services (GBS) sector created 26 346 new jobs servicing international markets in 2025 – its highest annual total since 2018.
In addition, just under 23 800 of those roles, or about 90%, were filled by young people, based on Business Process Enabling South Africa’s(BPESA’s) GBS sector report.
The GBS sector, sometimes referred to as business process outsourcing, has been identified as the green shoot that can help overcome the country’s unemployment, with
South Africa continues to demonstrate its worth as a leading destination for global business services (GBS), and the Eastern Cape is emerging as an important province in the sector’s growth story.
“The Eastern Cape is well positioned as a strategic and scalable hub, enabled by Special Economic Zones (SEZ) infrastructure, growing skills pipelines and investor-ready conditions to support global delivery, job
BPESA recently announced the official launch of the GBS Skills Strategy 2025–2030, unveiled at the National GBS Conference in Durban
On Tuesday 25 November I had the privilege of sharing some insights at the GBS and Digital Jobs Project Learning Day, hosted by Harambee in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
My focus was on BPESA’s strategic commitment to inclusive hiring, which you can read more about here. As we close off disability awareness month, I leave you with an extract: The true challenge lies in shifting mindsets. In a sector grappling with attrition and talent shortages, there is extensive evidence
Durban – South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector is on track to deliver transformative job creation and export revenue, with government in discussions to offer more substantial incentives to scale high-value digital services and diversify beyond traditional contact
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA), will host the Global Business Services (GBS) Annual Conference at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, n KwaZulu-Natal, from 3–5 November 2025.
The conference will bring together investors, international brands, policymakers, and industry leaders from key markets such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to explore
South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) Sector continues to buck the employment and business confidence trend, recording good job growth and strong export revenue for the period April to June 2025. The industry added 8,180 net new international jobs and contributed R2.3 billion (US$131
There is no doubt that collaboration between private companies, government and industry can often be the catalyst of immense success. An excellent example is the performance of the Global Business Services (GBS) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sectors, which in 2024 contributed approximately R6 billion in export revenue and created over 20 000 new jobs, with youth jobs accounting for about 90% of new hires.
This is according to research conducted by BPESA (Business Process Enabling
