The Sourcing Market is on the Up and Up: Everest Group Reports Rise in Global Outsourcing Demand, GIC Activity and Service Provider Revenues in Q2 2018 | Press Release

Sourcing center setups at all-time high in Q2, driven by increased location activity in Nearshore Europe, Middle East

The global sourcing industry experienced a lucrative Q2 2018, marking notable rises in outsourcing demand, setups of global in-house centers (GICs) and service provider revenues compared to Q1, according to Everest Group. In addition, Everest Group reports that overall location activity was at an all-time high (87 setups of delivery centers by GICs and service providers during the quarter) due to significant increases in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East.

Everest Group discusses these and other second-quarter developments in the sourcing industry in its recently released Market Vista™: Q3 2018 report. The quarterly report highlights the trends in the fast-evolving global sourcing market, exploring the key developments across outsourcing transactions and Global In-house Centers (GICs), as well as location risks and opportunities, and service provider developments.

“We’re coming off a great second quarter for the global services industry as a whole,” said Salil Dani, vice president at Everest Group. “For starters, location activity was at an all-time high and transaction activity rose in comparison to Q1. More than two dozen of the world’s leading companies announced plans to expand or set up new centers, which is a strong indication that enterprises anticipate that the market will continue to validate their sourcing strategies in the near future. We expect that this positive momentum will continue through the remainder of the year, which suggests the global sourcing industry will post significantly improved metrics compared to 2017.”

***Register for Complimentary Webinar***

Everest Group will review the findings of the “Market Vista: Q3 2018” report in a webinar to be held on Wednesday, August 29, at 9 am CDT. In addition, Everest Group presenters will address the results of a brief survey the firm recently conducted with leading service providers to gauge their market perspectives for the remainder of 2018 and into 2019. Register here for the complimentary, 60-minute webinar, “Service Provider Vantage Point, Plus Q3 2018 Market Vista™ Briefing.”

Additional highlights from the Market Vista: Q3 2018 report:

  • There was an uptick in outsourcing deals in the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) vertical, driven by U.S. tax reforms. Healthcare outsourcing transactions also surged, driven by declining enterprise margins.
  • Outsourcing activity across North America and Rest of the World (especially Asia, Australia and New Zealand) increased notably over the last quarter.
  • The “Technology and Communication” sector remained the most active and accounted for more than one-third of the total market activity in Q2. The manufacturing sector witnessed an increase, accounting for 25 percent of total setups as compared to 18 percent in the previous quarter.
  • Digital services continued to dominate the outsourcing activity relative to pure traditional services, representing 61 percent of transactions compared to 39 percent, respectively. Automation was the most prevalent digital component employed by new or expanded GICs, with deployments in 52 percent of Q2 setups and expansions.
  • Tier-2/3 locations in the U.S. witnessed significant growth in new center setup activity for both transactional and transformational work, driven by low-cost skilled talent availability.
  • CEE accounted for more than one-third of the total GIC setups and expansions, with Ireland and Romania remaining the preferred nearshore locations in the region.
  • Middle East and Africa (MEA) gained traction during the quarter, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the total GIC setup and expansion activity. The majority of the centers that opened in this quarter in this region support R&D/engineering functions of the parent company.
  • Both global and offshore-heritage service providers saw an increase in revenue and operating margin.
  • Service providers point to a gap in digital skills as a key growth challenge and are utilizing multiple approaches, including alliances and acquisitions, and exploring talent models to mitigate risk.

***Download a complimentary 14-page abstract of the report findings here.*** (Registration required.)

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