Credit bureau TransUnion’s business process outsourcing (BPO) centre is targeting more job opportunities for unemployed youth, as it charts its future in SA.
The fully-virtual Global Capability Centre (GCC) Africa was opened in 2021, promising to boost job creation in the BPO sector.
Since then, the virtual BPO centre has employed more than 700 people, with intentions to employ more during this year – many via its learnership programme, says TransUnion.
The GCC has made no secret of its ambition to aggressively address unemployment in the under-35 age group, comments Shobana Maikoo, head of GCC Africa.
“By the end of the year, a significant number of our new employees will be young people on a 12-month learnership, of which a third will be persons with disabilities,” says Maikoo.
“They join the GCC with limited work experience or qualifications, and after having successfully proceeded through our assessment processes, most will end their learnership with international work experience and a National Qualifications Framework-recognised qualification, having the opportunity to be absorbed as full-time employees.”
With the unemployment rate sitting at 32.7%, as of the fourth quarter of 2022, the BPO sector has been identified as a catalyst in the fight against joblessness.
The South African BPO market is projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2027, growing at 13.2% during this period.
TransUnion’s BPO facility in SA is part of its wider initiative to expand the network of GCCs, with other locations already established in India.
GCC Africa supports TransUnion’s global operations, with its entire workforce comprised of South African workers servicing international clients from their homes, providing a range of contact centre, business process management, technology support, data analytics and other specialist roles.
Eric Hess, executive vice-president of global operations at TransUnion, states GCC Africa’s success has seen the business evolving its GCC strategy to draw the greatest possible value by providing business continuity across time zones.
“GCC Africa has been an important driving force for our global business across more than 30 countries,” Hess adds. “Its skilled workforce, sophisticated infrastructure and strong technology and digital capabilities benefit the broader TransUnion business, its clients and the consumers they serve every day.”
Maikoo says that even though it’s made up of a 100% remote workforce, the company has forged new ways of driving and maintaining employee engagement.
“Our marketing, internal communications and HR teams work closely together to ensure the right intensity and frequency of employee communication, and our monthly rewards and recognition programme – celebrated in a GCC-wide online gathering – is a highlight for everyone in the GCC.
“Every leader is also trained in the nuances of remote leadership, so they can manage their teams effectively within the demands of their roles, and the flexibility that working in the GCC offers to associates,” she concludes.
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