A major drive to take UK HR jobs to South Africa was launched last month as the country bids for foreign investment for local training.
Deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka headed a high-level delegation offering incentives for UK firms to set up outsourced operations in South Africa.
Among a range of cash offers for UK companies unveiled in London was a grant of 60,000 rand (£4,400) for every unemployed person completing specific training in South Africa.
The nation is using the drive to boost skills and its economy – particularly outside the major urban centres of Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. And Mfanu Mfayela, chief executive officer of the South African Contact Centre Community, said HR jobs were the main target for the ambitious delegation.
“As there is no direct customer contact with HR, we can bring in employees without experience of customer service,” he said.
“People can start working on the back-office functions and graduate into front-office jobs.”
Mlambo-Ngcuka told business leaders that South Africa has advantages over China and India for outsourcing as it has the same language as the UK and is on a similar time zone.
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