Malaysia is world's fifth preferred outsourcing location

MALAYSIA has been ranked fifth in the world's most preferred locations for shared services and outsourcing (SSO), up from sixth last year, in a study conducted by global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

"Malaysia has improved since last year.

"Over here, we see a concerted effort by the Government to attract the attention of global Fortune 500 companies," said Frost & Sullivan's vice-president, information and communications technology practice, Nitin Bhat.

"While the Government may make certain efforts, it ultimately (depends on) the service providers, whether they are local or multinational," he said when commenting on Malaysia's prospects of climbing up the rankings at a presentation in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

In the study, India maintained its top ranking, followed by China, Ireland and Singapore which also retained their second, third and fourth positions respectively.

Nitin said with Malaysia's infrastructure of good quality, and if all the relevant elements work together, there is a chance for the country to go up the rankings, especially with the small margin between the countries ranked third and fourth.

"But at the same time, it is a dynamic world and nothing can prevent Mexico or Dubai, or for that matter Poland, from moving up much faster (than Malaysia)," he said. - Bernama