Offshore IT suppliers want to drive growth by setting up
for business in other countries, and the UK is the leading target
destination, according to a recent survey.
The survey, by outsourcing event organiser OutsourceWorld, of
more than 1,000 IT outsourcing, BPO, call centre and HR outsourcing
providers around the world, indicated that a third of overseas
outsourcing suppliers expected to set up and grow their business
within the UK in the next 12 months.
Nearly three-quarters of international outsourcing companies in
10 countries expect to grow revenues within the next 12 months by
an average of 11%.
A similar percentage anticipate growth coming from investment in
countries where they do not currently have operations centres,
management centres, subsidiaries or headquarters. 35% of companies
named the UK as their first-choice location for realising overseas
growth, followed by Western Europe with 17% and the US with
13%.
UK-based outsourcing suppliers are more reticent about the
potential growth from new offshoring operations. Only half of
outsourcing providers currently operating in the UK expect to
expand into new offshore locations in the next 12 months, compared
with 73% of global suppliers.
OutsourceWorld director Tim McLucas said, "It's a common
assumption in the UK that outsourcing means one-way traffic to
India, but this study confirms that is a very dated view.
"Our research shows that the global outsourcing phenomenon can
just as easily bring new business into a country from near or
offshoring organisations and the UK in particular is well placed to
capitalise on this global outsourcing opportunity."