Policy Hub
On 8 November 2004, the CBI, the employers' organisation and Alba, the electronic goods and power tool specialist, publish a report of a MORI survey which warns that companies are under growing pressure to relocate parts of their business overseas.
The survey covered 150 CBI member companies employing three-quarters of a million people in the UK and 2.2 million globally. It argues that the benefits of off-shoring outweigh the drawbacks, saying that the process will increase productivity, profitability and economic growth.
The survey confirms that China and India remain the most popular
off-shore locations, but
firms see Eastern Europe as an increasingly attractive alternative,
with Poland and the Czech Republic the leading options.
The CBI says that low-skilled,
low cost labour was once the main strength of the emerging
economies, but this is changing as they produce more
English-speaking, highly trained, graduates.
The report can be viewed on the
CBI website