Offshore is no threat to talented individuals

Much has been said about outsourcing offshore; first it was the language and culture misunderstanding, which was soon washed out with the growth of UK and US businesses. Second was security, however development in offshore development centres (ODC) proved quicker and more sustainable than previous solutions. Thirdly – jobs.

There is fear that the decline of the economy has sparked a cut in budgets and the reduction of jobs in the western world – while in part this is the case, in reality cost cutting measures have occurred since time-began. Utilising the skills and resources of other regions and individuals to further the existing economies is nothing new.

Take farming, much now is from outside the UK, this country used to be covered in farms and farmers each competing for the better produce. Now it’s time for the IT industry to evolve. Similar to the developments of marketing and publishing industries in Dubai, ODCs may take a significant proportion of the IT services required in the West, however talented and skilled individuals are happy to relocate. The vast majority (81 per cent) of techies would happily up sticks and move abroad if a job or work opportunity landed in their lap, according to research by IT jobs site The IT Job Board.

More than a third of respondents are upbeat about domestic IT job prospects - saying they believe Blighty will continue to see strong growth in demand for IT professionals. For techies choosing the good life elsewhere, braining up on the language is a must - more than a third said the language barrier is the main challenge when moving to a foreign country. However in reality most IT professionals worldwide need to speak English due to the demand from English-speaking businesses.

According to some, offshore services have a negative impact on the skill level of the UK workforce. Almost half (48 per cent) of respondents to Silicon’s Skills Survey agree or strongly agree offshoring is undermining the skill sets of UK techies.

However any outsourcing company should in fact be taking advantage of the local talent and developing a model that mixes skills and roles with efficiency, travel and cost – in so doing reducing the CO2 footprint.

It’s about offering the right mix for businesses between personal service and technical ability. Projects do not necessarily need to be deployed locally but if managed on location relationships and direct line of thought can improve the end-project and increase the speed for which it is completed.

Many IT companies have built to such an extent that the service provision is misunderstood between the customer and provider meaning costs escalate. It is essential service providers are small enough to be nimble but large enough to work effectively as a partner to customer’s changing needs.

The industry should forget about being Off-or-On-shore – with business becoming all about virtualisation and maximising remote working no company is necessarily based here or there. The only differentiator is cost of living and quality of life. Industry leaders should take the ‘Right-shore’ approach to truly spread the net to becoming a global organisation.

Keith Rock
Sales Director, Continental Europe & Africa