The Western Cape business process outsourcing (BPO) industry created 4 400 new jobs in the 2014/15 financial year, Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPeSA) said on Friday.

As a region, the Western Cape accounted for almost 60% of all BPO jobs in South Africa with about 16 000 employees. Of this number, over 10 000 jobs have been created in the region over the past three years, with further growth expected.

“This is a wonderful achievement and is testament to the hard work of both the public and private sectors in making the region an investment location of choice.

“Although domestic operations still make up the majority of jobs in the region, almost all recent job growth has come about through foreign investment, a trend we see continuing in the future,” BPeSA Western Cape CEO Gareth Pritchard said.

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille added that the city offered a compelling value proposition for international BPO businesses. “We are able to offer significant cost savings: we are perfectly positioned to service the European, Australian and North American markets and, most importantly, have an amazing talent pool at our disposal. It is the quality of our people that sets us apart.”

International outsourcers working out of the Western Cape included Capita, Merchants, Mindpearl, Teleperformance, Serco, WNS, Webhelp, as well as various international brands such as Asda, Amazon, Bloomberg, Engen, iiNet, 02, Qantas, State Street, Shell, Shop Direct and Vodafone.

“If you work in the BPO sector, South Africa is an exciting place to be right now. The dramatic global shift in the service sector to quality rather than quantity matches our capability perfectly, reflecting in the growth we have seen.

“There is no doubt that the Western Cape’s cosmopolitan nature and success as a tourist destination has also opened people’s minds to the region as a world-class customer service destination,” said Merchants business development director Lisa Roos.

Western Cape Economic Opportunities Minister Alan Winde added that local government was committed to supporting areas that made a “real” difference to the people of the region.

“BPO is an important economic generator and this sector is delivering a massive boost to growth and jobs, especially for our youth. We applaud BPeSA’s efforts in helping this sector to thrive,” he said.