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Inter-Active Technologies joins retrenchment train [ITWeb](ITWeb Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Inter-Active Technologies CEO Brendan van Staaden says the company is not alone in looking to retrenchments, in an industry where the economy necessitates downscaling. Business process outsourcing (BPO) company Inter-Active Technologies (IAT) has joined the ranks of Telkom (../index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135949), MTN (../index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137638:MTN-extends-retrenchment-consultation) and – more recently – Cell C (../?id=138339:Cell-C-joins-retrenchment-wave). Some of the job cuts look set to reach large scales, with labour unions expressing dread that thousands more jobs could be on the line. Inter-Active Technologies MD Jacqui van Staaden said in April last year that the BPO industry contributed at least R4.6 billion to the region's GDP. Telecoms giant Telkom, which is in phase one of a Section 189 retrenchment process, says it is looking to cut a total of about 2 500 managers over all three phases of this process. Last month, the Technology Innovation Agency said it aimed to undergo a major restructuring process (../index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137938:Tech-agency-to-axe-up-to-75-staff-says-union), and warned this would include retrenchments – with as many as a third of its current 193 employees potentially facing the axe. However, Solidarity this morning said (../index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138865:Solidarity-staves-off-TIA-retrenchments) it had managed to halt job cuts for now – at least until March. statistics (http://www.bpesa.org.za/south-africa-bpo-latest-statistics/) from Business Process Enabling SA (BPeSA), the BPO and offshoring sector continues to grow in SA, with the Western Cape maintaining its presence as the largest offshore market with 11 479 jobs, followed by Gauteng with 7 177 and KwaZulu-Natal at 4 951. Brendan van Staaden said in April last year that SA's BPO industry had grown in 2012, "where the rest of the world experienced either minimal or slight growth in the year". He added, "With a year-on-year agent growth exceeding 18.5%, the local BPO industry set the stage for growth going forward from 2012. Inter-Active Technologies experienced its own measurable growth during this period and, on the whole, it was a fantastic year for BPO in SA and for business growth and development within Inter-Active Technologies." Jacqui van Staaden noted the success of the BPO industry was evident in the contribution of at least R4.6 billion to the region's GDP. In October last year, BPeSA reported (http://www.bpesa.org.za/inter-active-technologies-expands-its-reach-into-the-eastern-cape/) that IAT had, in the preceding financial year alone, expanded its national staff numbers from 640 to over 1 000. (c) 2014 ITWeb Limited. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |