Outsourcing has been a much talked-about and much-debated business strategy right from the time policymakers began implementing it
. The financial benefits of outsourcing that accrued to the pioneers, the large multinational companies based in the industrialized nations of the world, did not go unnoticed and by and by, more corporations jumped onto the bandwagon.
The need for outsourcing stemmed from two scenarios that developed almost hand-in-hand. Large corporations felt the need to shrug off some of their workload and began scouting for cost-effective channels to disperse the work. And realization dawned on them that there existed a huge pool of qualified workforce in the developing countries, waiting to be tapped.
Differences in standards of living meant that the remuneration of workers in the developed and developing nations varied widely. MNCs in developed countries could secure the services of qualified professionals from developing nations to do their work for much less than what they would have incurred if they had employed a professional from their own country.
Outsourcing the work also meant that the employers could save huge amounts of employment taxes and other overhead costs that arise from having people on their payroll. They also saved the money that they would have to dole out as costs incurred to retain qualified technical professionals.
Developed nations mostly outsource their work to firms in developing nations. Most developing nations are located in the eastern hemisphere and are ahead of the countries on the other side of the world. This time lag allows an employer in the western world to have his data processed overnight. This increase in the turnaround time wrings in immense financial benefits.
Outsourcing the data processing work enables an organization to focus more on its core activities. This, in turn, leads to more efficient business practices that improve productivity and thus brings forth more financial benefits.
Outsourcing has been the subject of much controversy in recent times, but with the huge financial benefits involved, it looks here to stay.