The Changing Nature of Global Outsourcing

The traditional drivers or outsourcing are factors such as availability of talent, flexibility of a supplier to provide expertise, and a reduced operating cost, but a recent feature in CIO magazine showed that the situation around the world is changing. Many regions are seeing unusual changes that are sometimes beneficial and sometimes problematic.

IBA is focused on the Central and Eastern Europe region (CEE) and there are changes taking place in many of these countries that are not usually picked up by commentators who merely talk about rates being lower than western Europe. The conflict in Ukraine is a good example.

All organisations want to operate in a stable political environment. Armed conflict is not going to help any business function smoothly and it is interesting to observe how the CEE neighbours of Ukraine have all benefited from the conflict. Many IT and BPO companies with operations in Ukraine have shifted their teams west into neighbouring countries and many individuals with skills have just moved, seeking work nearby. In some cases (like Lithuania) the local government has made it easier for foreigners with IT skills to come and find a job.

These unusual changes in outsourcing attractiveness are repeated in several other places around the world. Brazil and Colombia have both seen currency depreciation over the past year that makes their services at least 20% cheaper than a year before – for companies using US dollars.

Even inside the US there are changes that are not reported so often. The government offers many incentives for companies that hire military veterans and as the USA winds down various overseas operations there are many veterans starting service companies and using their veteran status to win contracts with companies that want to hire locally, but also see that they get tax benefits in doing so.

What’s interesting about all these cases is that they show how complex the outsourcing decision process is becoming. This is no longer about selecting a nation or individual company, many other factors are in play and can affect how a corporate relationship works.