Is Cairo the new Bangalore? Companies Look Beyond India for Outsourcing

[mandy]

A pair of articles on emerging centers for outsourced workers:

India may be the best known destination for offshore contact centres but 'nearshore' countries such as Egypt also want to get a piece of the action.

Following India's success, many countries such as Argentina, Egypt, Hungary and Mexico are marketing themselves as destinations for companies looking to cut costs or access particular language skills.

The new competitors are appearing at a tricky time for the Indian market, with a consumer backlash against Indian offshoring combined with increased costs and attrition rates of 75 to 80 per cent in some Indian call centres...

full article: http://services.silicon.com/offshoring/0...364,00.htm

Egypt hypes its offshore 'smart cred'
Can it persuade companies to look beyond India?

Egypt wants to position itself as a North African hub for business process outsourcing (BPO) and 'nearshore' contact centres.

The government is building a Smart Village in the desert 25km outside of Cairo which it hopes will attract companies keen to cut their costs through offshoring. It claims they can benefit from an educated workforce and good telecoms infrastructure...

full article: http://services.silicon.com/offshoring/0...376,00.htm