Le marché BPO dans l'union européenne (document en anglais)

The UK is the largest (offshore) BPO market in the EU.

• The principal drivers for BPO offshoring are cost reduction and the shortage of qualified labour in the UK.

• Increased activity of multinational Indian BPO providers on the UK market results in more competition for other companies from developing countries (DCs).

• The public sector is a very active BPO market in the UK, followed by the financial services sector.

• Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the UK are outsourcing their non-core processes, but are still hesitant when it comes to offshoring.

• The price trend is going down in the UK as a result of increased competition.

• Multi Vendor Outsourcing and offshoring specific tasks to niche players is gaining importance.

• To work with UK customers, presence in the market is very important. Partnership with a UK firm is recommended and attending conferences is a good way to make contact.

• India is by far the largest offshore destination for UK companies.

• Nearshore destinations such as Eastern Europe are on the rise.

Demand

According to the Ovum Holway research agency, the BPO market in the UK market still continues to grow and amounted to €11.5 billion in 2012. It is by far the largest BPO market in the EU.

Although the IT outsourcing market is still much larger in the UK, the pace at which the BPO market in the UK grows is much faster.

For the period until 2013, Ovum expects higher growth rates (10% annually) in the general BPO market in the UK, with some markets in the public and private sectors outperforming these figures.

Supply

The large BPO market in the UK is home to several important players. Globalisation is setting in, but the BPO market is growing to such an extent that there will always be room for smaller and/or niche players. The leading players in the BPO market, ranked by market share in the UK, are:

• Capita - http://www.capita.co.uk - market share of 21%.

• Vertex - http://www.vertex.co.uk - 8% share.

• EDS - http://www.eds.co.uk - 7% share.

• Accenture - http://www.accenture.co.uk - 7% share.

The UK market is characterised by the increasing presence of all the top Indian BPO suppliers.

These companies are expanding their Western operations in order to become true multinational corporations. For example, Tata Consultancy Services (TSC) has more than 3,000 employees in the UK.

Another important supplier in the UK is Steria (http://www.steria.com). This France based company acquired British BPO supplier Xansa in October 2007, making Steria a top 10 player in the British BPO market. In June 2008, Capita acquired IBS OpenSystems

Opportunities and threats

- Unlike other EU countries, the UK has a large offshoring/nearshoring potential in the public sector.

- Offshoring is still a good option, as price remains the most important factor in outsourcing.

- While BPO is still a growth sector, suppliers of BPO services need to differentiate themselves from the rest of the market and offer good quality services in niche markets.

− Increased activity of Indian BPO providers in the UK market results in more competition for other DC companies.

− Increasing availability of BPM software diminishes the need for outsourcing.

The market

The UK is the largest market for offshore BPO in Europe. Over 70% of all European offshore expenditure is generated by the UK and Ireland. The private sector is the most active sector in offshoring, followed by the financial sector. Industry experts state that there is a growing trend in the UK transport sector and the healthcare industry to use BPO administration processes and back office services.

Trends

Although India is still the largest offshore destination for UK companies, demand for suppliers from nearshore destinations such as Eastern Europe is increasing fast.

Chances in the UK SME market are still very small as these companies have not yet accepted offshoring and nearshoring as a real opportunity.

Increased activity

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