GBS Sector becoming one of South Africa’s digital economy success stories, according to recent report

Cape Town, 22 September 2026 – 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 Cape)* moving employees from  customer services roles into digitally enabled ones is key to maintaining international competitiveness. One of the report’s central findings is that “routine transactional work is shrinking, and demand is shifting toward staff who can combine customer engagement with data interpretation”.

“South Africa is consistently ranked among the top three locations for customer experience**.  While that remains a  significant competitive advantage, international clients are increasingly looking for capabilities that combine customer engagement with technology,  business processes and digital problem solving,“ says Reshni Singh, CEO of BPESA, the sector’s national industry association.

Amid the shift, the country’s GBS sector continues to record strong jobs growth, with 26, 346 new jobs created nationally in 2025, the highest annual total achieved in since 2018. The Western Cape accounted for 45% of international jobs during that period.

Cape Town has also emerged as one of the key locations for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) .  These are strategic hubs for software development, data analytics, and business processes, wholly owned by multinational companies such as Amazon/AWS and Transunion. This is helping build the country’s reputation as more than a cost-saving destination.

“The City plays a critical role in positioning Cape Town at the forefront of the sector’s evolving value proposition. We are delighted to welcome them as an important sponsor of this year’s BPESA GBS and BPO Conference, which will be held in the mother city in November this year,” says Reshni Singh, CEO of BPESA, the sector’s national industry association.

“The City is proud to support the BPESA GBS and BPO Conference and to continue working alongside our industry partners to grow this important sector. In Cape Town, our focus has been clear: attract investment, support industry growth and, most importantly, connect more Capetonians to jobs. And the results speak for themselves. Our BPO workforce has grown to more than 100,000 people, while in 2024 the industry contributed R23 billion to Cape Town’s economy, more than double the R11 billion provincial contribution recorded a decade earlier.

“This conference gives us another opportunity to bring investors, industry leaders and policymakers together in Cape Town to focus on what comes next, more investment, more growth and more jobs. I look forward to welcoming delegates to the Mother City and showcasing why Cape Town continues to be a standout destination for global business services,” said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.

The city will host the annual BPESA GBS | BPO Conference and BPESA GBS Alchemy Awards the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 10 and 11 November 2026. The conference will bring together industry leaders, global investors, and subject matter experts, with record attendance expected at this year’s event.

Supporting the conference for the second consecutive year, this time as platinum sponsor, is Krisp, a pioneering global AI voice technology company that is helping contact centres improve customer conversations across accents, languages and environments.

“South Africa has already proven it can compete with the world’s best CX delivery markets. Voice AI expands the size of that opportunity,” said Harry Folloder, Chief Commercial Officer at Krisp.

“When South African teams can serve more customers across accents, languages and markets, the opportunity is no longer just to bring more work here. It’s to expand the kind of work South Africa can win. The region has the talent, infrastructure and delivery expertise. AI can remove more of the barriers to putting that talent to work globally, and we’re already seeing that happen with BPOs here today.”

Krisp enhances communication clarity by improving comprehension across accents, translating speech across over 60 languages, and removing background noise and voices, all in real time, making it an essential tool for high-performance contact centres globally.

*SkillsBoost 2026 BPO Sector Report (see attachment)
**According to the 2026 Ryan Strategic Advisory report, South Africa is ranked joint third globally for CX (customer experience) delivery alongside Poland.

About Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA)

BPESA (Business Process Enabling South Africa) is the national industry association for South Africa’s Global Business Services (GBS) sector. As a non-profit organisation, it promotes trade, attracts investment, and supports members and stakeholders advancing the sector’s growth and sustainability.

In partnership with government, investors, operators, and skills development partners, BPESA positions South Africa as a leading destination for outsourcing and shared services, while driving inclusive job creation and economic growth through advocacy, market intelligence, skills initiatives, and industry events. Website: www.bpesa.org.za

About South Africa’s Global Business Services Sector
Global Business Services (GBS) and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)  are used interchangeably and refer to the outsourcing of services to a third-party service provider, sometimes located in another country. BPESA focuses on the GBS/BPO international profile with a mandate to attract international investment and create an enabling ecosystem for sector development.

South Africa presents a compelling business case for international operators with compatible time zones, sophisticated infrastructure, a reliable IT environment and access to a large skills pool of entry level to graduate skills. This sector has been recognised since at least 2005 as a priority growth sector because of its ability to attract foreign investment and create jobs.

The industry has set itself an ambitious goal of creating between 350,000 and 500,000 sustainable jobs in South Africa's GBS sector by 2030, building on its global reputation for service excellence, among other attributes.