Many companies have a problem right now: they need talented IT workers, and the talent isn’t available. The “great resignation” has intensified competition for resources, and the biggest corporations – with the deepest pockets – are willing to pay top dollar to snap them up. Unless you can compete with those major players, it is not easy to find the people you need.

But talented workers are everywhere. They are available not just in the USA, but also in South America, Europe, and Asia as well. In this economy, you have to hire the best people you can find, wherever they are.

Many companies look only as far as the US border when they are seeking talent, disregarding nearshore and offshore resources, and that puts them at a distinct disadvantage. Both for cost and availability, why not look further afield to find the people you need?

Smart people are everywhere: The differences between onshore, nearshore & offshore resources

You can find smart, talented workers all over the world. North America doesn’t have a monopoly on high-tech talent which means organizations have choices:

• Onshore Outsourcing: You can focus on onshore resources from the USA. They exist, and you could find them; however, they will be more expensive than more remote workers. But if you need your people to be located onsite or nearby, and you are willing to pay the extra cost, it’s worth hiring onshore workers.
• Offshore Outsourcing: You can find offshore workers in India or other parts of Asia. Many companies have discovered that, although they tend to be lower in cost, they are just as talented as North American personnel. If your highest priority is cost savings, and the time zone difference is not an issue, offshore workers are a worthwhile option.
• Nearshore Outsourcing: You can find a balance with nearshore resources from South and Central America. Again, these workers are equally as capable as onshore resources, but they are typically half the cost of US resources. They can often work in the same time zones as the USA, enabling them to work directly in sync with your local team. If you want to balance cost and distance, consider hiring nearshore workers.

Why the Blended Resources Option Works

Quisitive is already a leader in providing the proper mix of offshore, nearshore, and onshore personnel. Many clients are finding that working with offshore and nearshore teams is no longer just a good idea, but a must. Finding talent worldwide is a necessity just to remain competitive in the IT space. They are turning more and more to offshore and nearshore talent. If your company is not already working in the blended model, the time to start may be now.

From a cost-benefit point of view, investing in onshore resources is not always justified. By turning to offshore and nearshore resources, you still get a talented, experienced team, and you get it at a lower cost. International workers know they need to be fluent in English to work with American companies, and they already have a high level of IT skill.

Nearshore outsourcing can minimize some trade-offs. They work the same hours as your local office, and with modern connectivity and collaboration tools, they might as well be in the next state — or even at an office down the street. Modern tools make collaboration with your team easy and instant.

No one option is superior, though. Some companies will contract all their external talent from the same location, and some hire multiple teams from around the world. The key is finding the mix of resources that works best for you.

Finding the Best Team for You

You can get the team you need here in the USA, or you can get workers based in Uruguay, Brazil, or Mexico. Their skill set is the same, they work the same hours, and they are all fluent in English. The question is which team, or teams, meet your company’s needs best.

The most important difference between the teams is the cost. You’re paying more – possibly a lot more – for the US-based team, assuming they are even available to you. The math is a no-brainer. Is there any way you can justify paying so much more for resources, just because they are within your own country’s borders?

Quisitive supplies onshore, nearshore, and offshore resources for many organizations, and for a range of different projects. One of Quisitive’s projects in California, rebuilding a large, complex tax system for a major public sector client, has over two dozen project personnel based in South America. Five teams are collaborating with the local client, and the client has found both the results and the price a great fit for them.

Another Quisitive client is using a mix of onshore, nearshore, and offshore teams. The local personnel perform the architecture and design work; the nearshore team does the software development; and the offshore team is responsible for quality assurance, which can happen while the other teams are not working. This provides an around-the-clock development effort.

These scenarios are only becoming more common over time. Smart people are located everywhere; it is important to have a vendor that is flexible enough to find a solution that matches your requirements as they change over time, or from project to project.

Finding the right resources in the right locations can increase the effectiveness and value of your own team and give you a competitive advantage over organizations that are locked into the local talent pool.

Contact us to discuss how we can fulfill your team’s talent needs today.