Trends in Outsourcing

Although outsourcing is not a newly introduced phenomenon it is as old as human kind itself and during this last decade or so it has become more of a mainstream method of employment and business.

Outsourcing traces back to different eras and periods of the business and industrial evolution, concerning different sectors. However historians agree that the latest and largest wave of outsourcing trend came with the revolution of IT technology and the need of manufacturing hi-tech items, including computers and electronic equipment. One of the most crucial moments in the history and evolution of outsourcing services was the dot com boom and the significant increase of e-commerce possibilities. In present times there is practically nothing that cannot be outsourced, with BPO expanding in fields like IT and ITES outsourcing, security, monitoring, administration and even commerce.

Analysts claim that in a few years outsourcing will be the focal point of all IT and online businesses, mostly because nowadays companies can benefit from skilled and experienced personnel that come from all over the world at low cost. Especially since a vast majority of outsourcers come from countries like India and China, or other Asian countries where wages are lower than in the US and the developed Western Countries, the possibility of quality contractors with low rates is increasing dramatically every year. Although the initial predictions were talking about a decrease in outsourcing in 2006, in both 2006 and 2007 the number of outsource contracts was not only bigger but also the fields of activity were more varied than in all the previous decades. The current trend in outsourcing shows that the outsource providers expand their technological scope and ensure their position in global market, while the elevated number of buyers help in the creation of new outsourcing workplaces.

Since outsourcing now is broadening its horizons to different markets taking advantage of the latest technological inventions, there are no geographical or
language limits. Video conferences, instant messaging, networking groups, emails, mobile technology and social networks have facilitated the communication and work of outsourcers with the hiring companies who can now focus on the core business operations of their companies. During these last five years we saw the Western companies going offshore when it comes to outsourcers, not only because of the lower prices but also because of having access to a pool of  talented and competitive freelancers, ranging from high skilled professionals to ambitious and qualified graduates who could perform equally well maybe even better.

The future of outsourcing is now considered bright and open, although everyone agrees that the main focus now will be on increasing competition and the orientation of business to processes more than before.