South Africa's call centre industry: The emerging challenges of a growing destination in the global South

Abstract

Call centres are one of the largest sectors of business process outsourcing and offshoring, which has expanded into a major activity in the global South. Over the past 15 years much government attention has been accorded in South Africa to promoting the country as a destination location for call centres in support of job creation particularly for unemployed youth. This article critically analyses the trajectory of call centre development, policy evolution and business development challenges in South Africa. It is revealed that South Africa is seeking to maximise the role of impact sourcing for employment. Critical issues remain around restructuring the location of call centres which are strongly concentrated in the most economically developed parts of the country.