The National Outsourcing Association has unveiled its vision for how the UK can become the global strategic hub for outsourcing by 2020, a status that will drive job creation and significant growth to GDP through ensuring that more outsourcing contracts will be signed and governed in the UK.

The NOA has also called on David Cameron’s government to provide some “long-awaited, much-needed support”, identifying five key areas for immediate government focus:

• Improved skills development

• Less restrictive immigration policies

• A balanced approach towards outsourcing transparency

• Further investment in infrastructure

• Active and vocal government support

The hypocrisy of the Conservative government was also highlighted. The UK government currently uses outsourcing more than any other government globally, spending £120 billion on outsourced public services during its last term, yet the NOA pointed out that Whitehall currently hinders UK outsourcing more than helping it.

“The UK government… prefers to castigate outsourcing to save ministerial skins and puts up barriers that prevent innovation,” chided Kerry Hallard, CEO of the NOA. “The UK government needs to drop its fixation with the manufacturing industry and recognise that we are living in the services economy. We have a very real opportunity to become the global leader in this space and enjoy the growth opportunities that come with it, but I fear we are losing ground to the very nations we outsource to: India, China and Poland being prime examples.

“For an industry to contribute so significantly to the UK economy, yet be ignored to this extent by its government, is quite frankly disgusting. It used to be the manufacturing sector that put the ‘Great’ into Great Britain – today it’s British services and outsourcing. Just imagine how much more the UK could achieve in terms of economic growth, employment and productivity if outsourcing had the government’s full backing.”

The NOA CEO made similar claims in her article ”Can the UK become the global strategic hub of outsourcing?” published by Government Business.

Read the NOA’s full press release.

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