Long gone are the days of selecting offshore/nearshore service delivery locations with a regional/local interpretation of demand, a focus on cost savings, and an emphasis on service delivery in and of itself. Today, it is evolving to include a global view of demand, an increasing focus on talent quality and capacity for innovation, and the involvement of group-level strategy at its core.
So, which locations will help enterprises fulfill their requirements? Where can they place a long-term bet for a sustainable strategy that provides a competitive edge against their competitors?
Everest Group’s viewpoint, “2019 Locations Predictions: Follow the Talent,” reveals location-specific forecasts that can guide organizations on how to transform their global delivery location strategies.
Everest Group’s Predictions for Global Services Delivery Locations
Asia
As companies look for large-scale rebalancing and consolidation/right-sizing to fewer centers, the primary focus of a location strategy will be talent quality and availability. Asia has the largest talent pool with varied skillsets for IT, digital, Engineering and R&D (ER&D), and BPS service delivery.
India – India will continue to progress in the next three to five years, driven by growth in the digital and ER&D functions, as well as the increase in the availability of depth and breadth of talent. Cities such as Hyderabad and Pune will experience the highest traction due to increasing demand for complex IT and high-end R&D work from the technology and BFSI giants.
The Philippines – The Philippines will continue its dominance as one of the largest voice-BPS markets, and will also experience growth in IT services, accentuated by a faster rotation into digital such as customer analytics and social media-driven services. We expect increased traction in locations beyond Manila, such as Iloilo, Quezon, Taguig, and Davao, given their attractive cost proposition and untapped talent pools.
Malaysia – Malaysia will continue to grow, especially in the multilingual BPS, banking-BPS, and digital sectors, due to the increasing demand from Southeast Asian markets and global BFSI majors.
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
As companies consolidate their portfolios, and as technology and design thinking-based approaches blur the boundaries between IT and BPS, cross-functional collaboration will become critical to achieving digitalization and faster time-to-market. The EMEA region provides an ecosystem that enables companies to tap into talent that can multi-task, and is more suited for cross-functional center setups.
Poland – Poland will overtake Canada to become the third largest location in the world for BPS delivery, given its expansion of multi-functional delivery centers across various verticals and its strong government support. Cities such as Krakow, Warsaw, and Wroclaw will see traction in high-end IT services, with players setting up digital innovation hubs, including blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and AI.
Ireland – Ireland will experience the fastest growth in the region due to strong government support, well-developed infrastructure, and the increasing trend across global majors to shift their headquarters away from the United Kingdom because of Brexit uncertainties. Beyond Dublin, we also expect higher BPS growth in tier-2/3 locations such as Cork, Limerick, and Galway.
Israel – Israel will witness a significant uptick in next-generation IT services including big data, cybersecurity, cloud, and IoT, driven by a focus on research and close collaboration between academia and industry.
Americas
The rise of reshoring amidst the protectionist policies adopted by leading source geographies, including the United States, is driving companies to scrutinize and consolidate their service delivery portfolios. The Americas region is becoming a preferred choice for firms, given the ease of coordination with onshore teams, better alignment/training, and customer intimacy.
Costa Rica – Costa Rica will experience an increase in center set-up activity, although the typical scale of operations might decline due to the focus on delivering agile transformation and automation solutions to support North American operations.
Jamaica – Jamaica will see accelerated growth, especially in the BPS segment, on the back of availability of a large English-speaking talent pool and dedicated government investments to enhance the business environment.
Canada – Canada will also witness accelerated growth, particularly due to high government investments in attracting foreign investors, and especially in the IT and digital services space. Uncertainty around U.S. government policies will further drive enterprises to expand beyond existing U.S. delivery centers, especially Canada.
In today’s complex, and often volatile, environment, a tightly defined and carefully crafted location strategy is increasingly critical to enterprises’ long-term success. For more details on Everest Group’s Predictions for Global Services Delivery Locations, please see our viewpoint, “2019 Locations Predictions: Follow the Talent” or contact Parul Jain or Anish Agarwal directly.
