Businesses that have "offshored" work overseas are coming back to the UK, with Glasgow staking a strong claim for attention, according to a report by property advisers Jones Lang LaSalle.
Its says recession, political uncertainty, and the rise of emerging nations, are prompting international corporates to re-assess their location strategy and select from three options – onshore, offshore and near-shore.
Traditional offshoring destinations such as India and the Philippines continue to attract the highest volume of offshoring investment and jobs, but an increasing number of companies are looking at bringing operations nearer to home, the report says.
Angela Pirie, a director at Jones Lang LaSalle in Glasgow, said: "As the mature economies rebalance and the availability of skilled labour increases, onshore locations are expected to become more attractive. These factors combined bode well for regional UK centres such as Glasgow."
The firm points to Glasgow's strong presence in contact centres, with around 160 firms already employing 20,000 in the city and a number of recent and planned expansions. Companies including Scottish Power and O2 were joined this year by Sky Customer Services at Atlantic Quay, adding up to 400 new jobs in the sector.
Tom Carroll, a research director at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: "A longer term focus on productivity, operational efficiency and future scalability is now driving decision-making, rather than straight cost-saves in the short term."
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