It seems that generous climate of Bangalore doesn't seem to have the draw it once held – if you're in the European Union. Perhaps the long flights were getting tiresome or expensive for road-weary executives. Fortunately, a number of large European companies have found a new place to camp – in their own backyard.
The former Eastern Bloc, notably Poland and the Czech Republic, are becoming stomping grounds for "offshore" activities for European and some American businesses.
the International Herald Tribune, Eastern Europe is doing outsourced business to the tune of $2 billion USD. Sure, it's got a long ways to go to catch up with India; analysts predict that it will outperform the rest of the market in the coming years.
What's particularly interesting is that these companies aren't shipping off their call centers; they're sending qualified, white collar jobs such as data processing and bookkeeping to the other side of Europe. Why not? Countries like Poland have among the highest level of PhDs in Europe! You're virtually guaranteed to get a well-educated worker with a similar culture.
What's ironic is these European companies are keeping these jobs local within the European Union; it almost seems contrary to the spirit of outsourcing! Why not let these workers know the joys of living and working in London, Paris, or Frankfurt? Ah yes, not every member country citizen has the right to work in the all of the countries that are shipping the jobs over to the "poorer" countries.
While it's good news for local economies; it should help put a dent in some nasty unemployment numbers. One can't help but be cynical and think that perhaps, just perhaps, it's just a good way to let certain Europeans know that they're European – so long as they work from home and not venture west.