Is leadership turnover reshaping the BPO market in Europe?

Across Europe, extra pressure on BPO and CX functions isn’t just from AI adoption or rising expectations - it's also from leader-level churn. Here's what we're seeing and why smart companies are adjusting fast.

The market is growing - and leadership positions are moving more than ever

Europe’s BPO market is expanding steadily - with projected CAGR between 8% and 11% depending on service line, and a total market size north of US $84 billion in 2024.

Growth creates opportunity - but also triggers friction as companies reassess leadership structures amid rapid change.

Executive level turnover is becoming a business risk

Across call centre teams - a core BPO function - frontline turnover rates run as high as 40-45% annually.

Senior roles are less volatile but much harder to fill - leaving gaps that slow operations or interrupt CX strategy.

What we're seeing from the frontlines at JMR

At JMR, we're experiencing:

• A rise in urgent searches: Mid-market BPOs in UK, Nordics, DACH, Iberia are requesting rapid backfill for VP/CXO positions - especially in CX, Ops, and Sales.
• Referral hires driving speed: More than 80% of our retained senior searches are referral-first, not job-board sourced.
• Cultural retention matters: Clients are emphasizing hires with both functional proficiency and behavioural fit - especially in remote or hybrid settings.

What high-turnover means for your executive planning

• Business Disruption: Gaps at C-level trickle downstream, impacting agent retention, customer satisfaction, and delivery efficiency.
• Talent Scarcity: The candidate pool feels shallow - especially for leaders with BPO + CX domain expertise.
• Strategic Misfires: High churn limits long-term leadership planning and succession efforts.

How companies are responding - and where JMR helps

We've seen three key shifts:

1. Leadership exit mid-cycle
   • Emerging Response: Build senior-level referral pipelines
   • JMR's Role: We map and engage "silver-medallist" leaders before openings arrive
2. Slow executive fills
   • Emerging Response: Use cross-functional hit-squad search teams
   • JMR's Role: We deploy squads of specialist recruiters, resourcers, market leads for speed
3. Culture fit falls short
   • Emerging Response: Prioritise local benchmarks & behavioural mapping
   • JMR's Role: We conduct deep competitive mapping for pay, soft skills, hybrid norms

Hard-hitting markets need hard-won hires - but we’re able to guide those hires faster and more precisely because of our network-first, hit-squad search model.

Final Take

Yes - leadership turnover is changing the game for BPO providers in Europe. But when senior hires are handled right:

• You keep projects on track
• You retain customer trust
• You build leadership resilience - ready for the next growth wave

Want a roadmap for more reliable executive hiring in your BPO business? Let’s connect - I’d love to share insights and case examples.

References:
Cognitive Market Research, LinkedIn, Insignia Resources, AmplifAI