What smaller countries lack in breadth, they can make up in depth. Finding an area of specialization can help countries that might otherwise get lost in the pack, stand out from other locations that have a larger population from which to draw or longer track record of which to boast.
IBM is one of many companies that has found a regional home in Costa Rica. In 2011, it doubled down and expanded its already substantial presence in the country with a $300 million investment in a new customer support center and announced plans to hire an additional 1,000 workers.
Salil Dani, a vice president in the global sourcing service line for the Dallas-based consulting and research company Everest Group, says that the country still has a ways to go to compete with the tech-specially giants but that it is on the right path.
“Costa Rica doesn’t have a large, talented IT pool like a Brazil or a China or an India,” says Dani. “But still, even if they are able to train some talent for ITO skills, that will really strengthen the proposition of Costa Rica even further. Because then people can look at it not just as a location for voice and Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) but also doing some IT work.”
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