Location, Location, Location – 2024 and beyond | No matter what the angle or the time period, there has always been a death knell sounded over the future of offshoring.
Over the years, many would have had it believed that business process delivery from locales near and afar would succumb to the advancements in automation and artificial intelligence. Equally, there has been a school of thought in place among some influencers that this work is better serviced from domestic locales.
Despite vigorous debate, the reality is that the demand for offshore services around all aspects of front and back-office functions has never been more robust. A clear example of why this is the case relates to the number of destinations from which this work can be done. Not even two decades ago, it would not have been unreasonable to assume that four or five countries would account for 90%+ of these work volumes. Today, that number would be in excess of 50 countries, ranging from legacy destinations such as India, through to upstart geographies like Rwanda, Georgia and Honduras.
What is driving the continued (and growing) interest in offshore BPO delivery? That is a question that could be answered a million different ways; but, suffice to say that the primary driver is no longer cost. The days of ‘your mess for less’ are a thing of the past, and any outsourcer positioning their offerings to be delivered from an offshore destination for the cheapest price possible is doomed to failure. More »
PULSE: Unearthing Hidden Gems: Global Impact Sourcing Award Winners Find Talent in Unexpected Places | More »
Harnessing AI for Positive Social Impact | Each new technology sparks debate about its impact on employment. There are two contrasting perspectives. Optimists view the new technology as alleviating workers from the most grueling tasks, freeing them to do more meaningful work. Pessimists, on the other hand, sound alarms about widespread unemployment, especially for those at the bottom of the career ladder.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest new technology that is the subject of this debate, and this is especially of concern in marginalized and underserved communities, whether in prosperous countries or developing countries. These communities face challenges getting the education and resources they need to climb the career ladder, especially with digital skills training. Opportunities that exist are often lower-skilled jobs—exactly the jobs that AI might automate. So, will AI take those jobs away and worsen the disparities in opportunities? We do not see it that way. Although automation will no doubt take away some lower-level jobs, we believe that AI can help marginalized communities grow and prosper by positively impacting education, employment, and entrepreneurship. This report outlines how this will come about. More »
PULSE: ScaleHub Harnesses “Collective Intelligence” to Help Solve Talent Shortage | IAOP's Center for Social Impact is your connection to the people and resources you need to excel at doing well by doing good through Impact Sourcing; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; ESG; Refugee Initiatives; Global Mentorship, and more. More »
PULSE: Getting Down to Business: Social Impact Working Groups Take Action | IAOP's Center for Social Impact is your connection to the people and resources you need to excel at doing well by doing good through Impact Sourcing; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; ESG; Refugee Initiatives; Global Mentorship, and more. More »
Seattle-area mentoring nonprofit with a global reach adds generative AI to toolkits for job seekers | A Seattle-area nonprofit helping disadvantaged job seekers around the world is adding generative artificial intelligence to the toolkit for its participants.
The Global Mentorship Initiative is teaching college students and recent graduates how to use digital tools that are powered by technology including ChatGPT and GPT-4 to more easily and successfully land jobs, starting with the job search and application all the way through the interview process to sending thank you emails. More »