The employment in the Call Centres Activities Sector in the UK has experienced notable fluctuations over the past decade. From 2013 to 2015, we observed a positive trend with employment numbers growing significantly, peaking in 2015 at 92.39 thousand FTEs. However, post-2015, the industry faced a steady decline. By 2023, employment had reduced to 39.26 thousand FTEs, marking a significant contraction.
The year-on-year variations from 2015 onwards highlight this downward trend, with particularly sharp declines in 2016 (-16.05%) and 2017 (-35.61%). The average annual decrease (CAGR) over the past five years stood at -5.23%. Future projections indicate a continuing decline with a forecasted CAGR of -6.89% over the next five years, leading to a forecasted employment level of just 25.44 thousand FTEs by 2028.
Key future trends to watch for include the increasing automation within the sector, the shift towards AI-driven customer service solutions, and the potential offshoring of call center operations to regions with lower labor costs. These factors are likely to continue impacting employment levels in the UK’s call center sector.
