Last month, we looked at the changing workforce ecosystem and the different ways businesses can access talent, from direct employment and recruitment to contractors, outsourcing and Employer of Record solutions.

We ended with a simple proposition: South Africa should be part of the serious conversation about where UK businesses find talent and build capacity.

But why South Africa?

The answer goes well beyond cost.

South Africa has developed a mature Global Business Services sector spanning customer experience, finance and accounting, technology, legal and professional services, back-office operations and increasingly sophisticated digital services. The UK has historically been one of the country’s most important international markets for these services.

More than traditional outsourcing

For too long, outsourcing has sometimes been associated simply with call centres and lower-cost labour.

That picture is increasingly outdated.

The opportunity today includes finance professionals, technology specialists, HR and payroll support, compliance, customer operations, administration, digital services and a growing range of specialist professional functions.

South Africa also offers some practical advantages for UK businesses: English-language capability, strong cultural familiarity and a time zone that enables teams in the two countries to work alongside each other during the normal business day. Established Global Business Services ecosystems have developed particularly around Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

This makes the proposition particularly interesting at a time when UK businesses are thinking carefully about how they resource growth.

The question does not have to be UK or South Africa.

It can be: what should we keep internally, where do we need specialist external capability, and how do we build the right combination?

An opportunity on both sides

There is also a much bigger economic story here.

For UK businesses, accessing South African capability can provide additional skills, capacity and flexibility.

For South Africa, greater international demand for business services can support exports, investment, skills development and employment.

That is precisely the type of relationship the Chamber exists to encourage: commercial opportunities that create value on both sides of the UK-South Africa corridor.

Now we want to hear from our members

This is also where our Beyond Borders campaign moves into its next phase.

The Chamber has members across the ecosystem, from outsourcing and recruitment to EOR, payroll, technology, training, professional services and the infrastructure supporting international delivery. Our campaign plan is specifically designed to bring those different parts of the membership into view rather than promote one provider or model.

From November, we want our members to help tell the story.

We will be looking for practical examples of:

• How UK businesses are using South African resources.
• Which functions are successfully being delivered from South Africa.
• What makes an outsourcing or offshore relationship work.
• Where recruitment, EOR and managed services fit.
• The technology and infrastructure required to support international delivery.
• The skills South Africa needs to develop to capture more of this opportunity.

Get involved

If your organisation works in outsourcing, BPO, recruitment, EOR, payroll, HR, technology, training, infrastructure or related professional services, we would like to hear from you.

Contact the Chamber team if you have an insight, case study or practical example that could contribute to a future Beyond Borders article.

Over the coming months, we want to move the conversation from why South Africa to how South Africa can win more of this work, and how our members can help make that happen.