South Africa’s thriving Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is not just an engine for economic growth – it’s a lifeline for thousands of young South Africans who would otherwise remain excluded from the formal job market. The sector’s growing embrace of Impact Sourcing – also known as socially responsible sourcing – demonstrates how business success and social transformation can go hand in hand.
Globally, companies are seeking ethical and sustainable supply chains that deliver measurable impact beyond the balance sheet. South Africa’s BPO sector, consistently ranked among the world’s top offshore CX delivery destinations, is uniquely positioned to meet this demand. According to Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPESA), the sector could create as many as 500 000 new jobs in the next decade. Many of these roles are being filled through Impact Sourcing – the intentional hiring of individuals from marginalised communities, including unemployed youth and people living with disabilities.
At iContact BPO, we’ve made Impact Sourcing a strategic imperative, not a side initiative. In a country where youth unemployment hovers around 46%, our approach is simple: create meaningful, sustainable employment pathways that give young people not just jobs, but careers and futures.
Around 90% of iContact BPO’s more than 1 000 employees are recruited through Impact Sourcing. The average age is just 23, 65% are women, and 10% are living with a disability.
For many of these young people, financial hardship and limited access to tertiary education have locked them out of employment pathways. By focusing on Impact Sourcing, we’re not only changing individual lives but also breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.
We partner closely with SA Business School, our sister company within the AlefBet Holdings Group, to recruit and develop learners who complete accredited contact centre learnerships. These programmes combine formal training with workplace experience, equipping young people with practical and transferable skills. Importantly, we’ve built inclusive workplaces designed to accommodate disabled employees – from physical infrastructure and connectivity to tech support and security.
Impact Sourcing isn’t just about entry-level jobs; it’s about career mobility.
Our people start in customer service or support roles, but through mentorship, training, and continuous learning, they can progress into management, HR, IT, operations, and training roles. Today’s contact centre agent could be tomorrow’s team leader or operations manager.
Most of our recruits have never had access to tertiary education, but our environment provides them with a professional platform to grow, learn, and discover their potential.
Few examples capture the transformative power of Impact Sourcing better than the story of Thabo Skosana (24) and Vusimuzi Nhlapo (23).
Raised in the Jehovah Jireh Children’s Home in rural QwaQwa, these young men faced a bleak future after ageing out of the system. When they joined iContact BPO in March 2025, they began a journey that has changed everything.
Today, both work as Asset Controllers, mastering the intricacies of the BPO industry, managing professional relationships, and learning essential life and workplace skills. They are now enrolled in learnership programmes that will give them formal qualifications – and, more importantly, dignity, stability, and hope. Their journey from a rural orphanage to the global BPO sector is not an anomaly – it’s proof of what’s possible when business becomes a vehicle for transformation.
For our clients, partnering with a BPO provider committed to Impact Sourcing isn’t just about cost efficiency or service excellence – it’s about aligning with purpose. It’s about joining a social compact where doing well and doing good are one and the same.
Through Impact Sourcing, we create a ripple effect that touches individuals, families, and entire communities – while delivering exceptional business results.
As the South African BPO sector continues its growth trajectory, there’s never been a better time for businesses – local and global – to join forces in driving inclusive growth. Because when business becomes a force for good, every call answered and every service delivered becomes a step toward a stronger, more equitable future.
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