One in four IT jobs moving offshore

Large companies are accelerating their use of offshore outsourcing and as many as a quarter of IT jobs at Global 1000 firms may be moved offshore by 2010, according to consulting firm the Hackett Group. According to its research, these large firms -- companies with revenues of at least $5 billion -- will move about 350,000 corporate jobs offshore over the next two years. Over half of those jobs will be in IT, with the remainder in finance, human resources and procurement. The data "is a confirmation of a mega-trend" similar to what happened in the manufacturing sector several decades ago, said Michel Janssen, Hackett's chief research officer. And while 25 percent of the IT jobs may head overseas in the next two years, over the longer term that figure could hit 60 percent. In some firms, it could reach 80 percent.