Berea entrepreneur creates employment in a depressed economy
"I wish I knew about this opportunity when I completed matric. I can only imagine where I would have been in my life today if I joined sooner in my life."
AS more and more young South Africans find it difficult to find jobs because of the high educational requirements for entry-level jobs, the local call-centre industry has proved to be alternative for the many who are desperately looking to find jobs.
The industry has grown by about eight per cent a year since 2003 and today directly employs about 54 000 people and contributes 0.92 per cent to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).
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Local businessman, Wayne Fouche, recently opened his offices at the Berea Centre, which will offer employment to a total of 130 people, mostly youth and those who would ordinarily be considered unemployable.
“I wish I had this opportunity when I was younger. I wish I knew about this opportunity when I completed matric. I can only imagine where I would have been in my life today if I joined sooner in my life,” he said.
“We provide a real opportunity for young people to make their mark in the world of work. It’s an avenue that rewards the hard working and consistent, provides invaluable skills training in the areas of sales, marketing and insurance, and there is real opportunity for career progression. It’s also an industry in high demand of skilled people, an industry willing to invest in training and development of committed individuals to get them from new and inexperienced, to professional mastery level,” he added.
The call centre industry in Durban has established itself as a large contributor to sustainable employment opportunities within the region and continues to carve out a niche as South Africa’s capital for outgoing calls.
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Forming part of the larger Business Process Services (BPS) industry, call-centres currently employ 25 500 people in the province and are one of the fastest enablers for job creation, particularly among young people.
The province is the second largest South African location for handling international customer service. Currently, the United Kingdom and Australia are the two key international markets serviced.
“Starting my own business has freed me from my own fears of thinking I was not good enough. It has also unlocked my financial freedom and has given me an opportunity to shift other people’s lives,” Fouche said.
The unemployment rate in South Africa fell to 26.5 percent in the last three months of 2016 after reaching a 12-1/2-year high of 27.1 percent in the previous period.
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Employment rose while unemployment fell and more people continued to join the labour force, bringing the participation rate up to a new high since 2002.
Unemployment Rate in South Africa averaged 25.37 percent from 2000 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 31.20 percent in the first quarter of 2003 and a record low of 21.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
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