| The story comes in many versions. As the plot | | | | scales. Using these and the over-all offshore and |
| thickens, so is the rivalry. So what countries are the | | | | leased staff competency, India and Mexico emerge as |
| best for offshore staff leasing? Like all "best" lists, we | | | | the best offshore destinations in the world today. But |
| need to lay out the criteria: availability and quality of | | | | that doesn't means countries that get a poor rating do |
| workforce, cost of infrastructure, tax agreements, and | | | | badly. In a similar survey made by Global Services |
| skills and technology match, and quality of work to | | | | Magazine and Business Standard, India has 6 cities |
| meet specific services. | | | | perfect for offshore and leased staff service, Dublin |
| In terms of the best tax incentive for offshore | | | | ranks 4th, and Manila (the Philippines) ranks 6th over all. |
| companies, Belize and Seychelles top the list for | | | | In yet another list of "Emerging Global Outsourcing |
| offering absolute tax exemption to non-resident | | | | Cities" India has 4, but the Philippines's Cebu gets the |
| companies. British Virgin Islands grants exemption from | | | | number one spot. |
| business and capital taxes regardless of your | | | | Indian offshore experts concede that the Philippines is |
| nationality. Cyprus, the Netherlands, and Barbados | | | | fast catching up because the country's demands for |
| offer advantageous tax treaties with foreign investors. | | | | outsourcing, offshore and staff leasing are at an all |
| Gartner's criteria | | | | time high in spite of the global recession. Manila's BPO |
| Meanwhile, offshoring analyst Gartner proposed ten | | | | revenues are half of India's even if Manila's workforce |
| criteria for a country's offshore operations worthiness. | | | | is not nearly half of India's. |
| These are government support, language, culture, skills | | | | Why the Philippines is the next Offshore and Stall |
| match, education, economic and political viability, | | | | leasing Destination |
| infrastructure, cost, and security (covering intellectual | | | | Filipinos are culturally flexible. The Philippines is no |
| and privacy rights), and global competitiveness. Gartner | | | | stranger to foreign culture as it has been under foreign |
| then sectioned the countries into regions: the Americas, | | | | rule for centuries. The Philippines has one of the |
| Africa and the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Europe. | | | | highest literacy rates in the world (92.6 %)-Filipinos |
| Argentina, Brazil, and Canada got the top three places | | | | value good education. They are as IT savvy as the |
| (in that order) in the Americas, while New Zealand, | | | | rest of the first world. Finally, the Philippines offers |
| Australia, India, and the Philippines got the top four | | | | tempting tax incentives to foreign investors, while the |
| places (in that order) in the Asia Pacific region. | | | | cost of living remains low. This translates into a very |
| India versus the Philippines | | | | manageable operation cost. The Philippines is poised to |
| Gartner rated these countries' offshore worthiness | | | | grab the title from India. |
| using the poor, fair, good, very good, and excellent | | | | |