How To Outsource In 2025: The Numbers Every Team Leader Should Know

Hiring shouldn’t drag on for three months or require six rounds of interviews to find someone who can simply do the job well. In 2025, more companies are opting out of the traditional hiring treadmill and turning to embedded offshore talent – not just to cut costs, but to move faster and build more effectively.

Offshoring has become a key lever for scaling global teams. The numbers back it, and we’ve seen it ourselves. Companies working with us have saved over $33,000 per hire annually and reduced hiring time from months to a matter of weeks.

Here’s a closer look at the data driving this shift and what it could mean for how you build your team next.

The Global Market: Size, Scale, and Velocity

Outsourcing isn’t a backup plan anymore. It’s how teams everywhere are scaling faster, hiring smarter, and staying lean without compromising output.

• The global business process outsourcing (BPO) market is projected to grow from $243.9 billion in 2021 to $525.4 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9%.

• The IT outsourcing market is even larger, valued at $617.7 billion, with projections to reach $806.5 billion by 2029.

• 78% of small businesses worldwide are now outsourcing to some degree.

💡 What this means: 

This kind of growth doesn’t happen unless something fundamental is shifting. In less than a decade, the BPO market has more than doubled and that’s not because companies suddenly wanted to save money. It’s because outsourcing gives them leverage.

If you're trying to build every function in-house, you’re behind. The majority of your peers — including small businesses — are outsourcing at least one part of their operations. Not to cut corners, but to stay focused on what moves the needle.

Ask yourself: where is your team stretched thin? What roles are stuck in hiring limbo? Those are likely your best opportunities to plug in offshore talent, not temporarily, but as full-time contributors who work your hours and understand your workflow.

You don’t need to outsource everything. But ignoring this shift entirely means you’re choosing slower growth while the rest of the market accelerates.

The Strategic “Why”: Beyond Cost Reduction

Cost is still a factor but it’s no longer the main reason smart teams outsource. The data points to something bigger: a shift from cost-cutting to capability-building.

• 65% of companies outsource to allow their internal teams to focus on core business activities.

• 59% cite cost reduction as a key driver.

• 53% say outsourcing helps them scale capabilities and respond to market changes quickly.

• For IT, 70% of companies outsource to improve efficiency and 57% do so to gain access to a broader talent pool.

💡 What this means: 

This data reflects what we see every day: companies aren't trying to replace talent, they’re trying to unlock it. Offloading repeatable work or specialist roles to vetted offshore teammates gives internal teams more room to operate where it counts – on strategy, innovation, and execution.

And it's not just about bandwidth. Access to a global talent pool lets you hire faster and with more precision. Need someone with niche skills or a startup mindset? You can’t always find that locally, and you don’t need to settle.

The best offshore hires plug directly into core functions of leading initiatives, managing stakeholders, and owning outcomes end-to-end. The only difference is where they're located.

When you stop limiting your search by geography, you stop compromising on quality or speed. That’s the real advantage. You’re bringing in someone who can move just as fast, think just as critically, and execute at the same standard you’d expect from any top-tier hire, regardless of where they sit.

The New Model: Embedded vs. Transactional Talent

The old model of outsourcing using short-term, project-based contractors is proving to be ineffective. The market is now demanding a more integrated approach.

• Freelance platforms are saturated, with Upwork listing over 145,000 freelancers just for marketing services alone.

• It's no surprise that 60% of finance and accounting outsourcing contracts are not expected to be renewed by 2025, primarily due to rigid pricing and a lack of digital maturity.

• 48% of companies cite a lack of control as a major challenge with outsourcing, while 44% point to poor quality.

💡 What this means: 

What this data reveals is the hidden inefficiency of relying on fragmented freelance talent: a lack of cultural context, minimal accountability, and zero continuity. You might save time upfront, but the long-term cost in ramp-up time, quality drift, and coordination overhead adds up quickly.

That’s why more teams are moving toward a different kind of outsourcing: full-time, embedded offshore hires. These are professionals who work your hours, align with your systems, and contribute at the same level as any in-house teammate, often at a fraction of the cost. This approach combines the affordability and reach of outsourcing with the quality, continuity, and ownership benefits.

For teams serious about scaling, this is the difference between hiring for output and building for impact.

The Critical Metric: Time to Hire

In fast-paced environments, hiring delays don’t just slow you down — they stall progress. Every week without the right person in place means missed deadlines, overburdened teams, and projects stuck in limbo.

• The average US-based full-time role takes 6 to 8 weeks to fill.

• For startups and growth-stage teams, this often means lost momentum at exactly the moment speed matters most.

• In comparison, hiring offshore through vetted partners can significantly reduce this timeline. In our case, the final shortlisted candidates are typically delivered within 14 to 21 days.

💡 What this means: 

The traditional hiring process is a drain on time, energy, and internal resources. By the time you've written the job description, pushed it across channels, screened dozens of applications, and run multiple rounds of interviews, 2 months have passed. And you’re still weeks away from onboarding.

This timeline doesn’t align with how fast product decisions are made or how quickly go-to-market plans shift. That’s why hiring models need to move just as fast.

When you can plug in talent within weeks, your team stays productive, your roadmap remains intact, and your growth plans stay on schedule.

The Global Tilt: Why APAC Talent is in Demand

Asia-Pacific has become a central hub for companies looking to access top-tier talent without the overhead of traditional markets.

• The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing outsourcing market in 2025.

• India alone accounts for over 50% of global BPO services.

• The region offers a large, educated, and digitally fluent workforce equipped to work with global teams.

💡 What this means: 

What used to be seen as a cost-saving destination is now a go-to market for quality. The talent emerging from India and Southeast Asia is technically sharp, fluent in global business environments, and well-suited for client-facing roles. 

The difference lies in how you access that talent. Navigating open marketplaces or sifting through inbound applications creates more noise than value. A curated approach of sourcing only high-quality, pre-vetted candidates who align with your expectations from day one removes that friction.

Tapping into APAC talent is no longer just an option for lean teams trying to save. It’s a strategic move for companies that want quality hires, delivered faster, at a cost that supports long-term scale.

Source: Demandsage

The Final Word

The numbers tell a clear story, and the shift is already underway. If you’re exploring the outsourcing route, make sure your outsourcing partner supports your long-term goals, not just short-term tasks. Use this lens to evaluate who’s worth working with:

• Do they offer full-time, embedded team members who can integrate into your systems and culture, or just short-term contractors?

• Is the partner deeply involved in vetting and shortlisting, or are they just forwarding resumes?

• Does their model actually reduce your hiring burden, or does it shift the work back onto your team?

Too many solutions promise flexibility and affordability, but leave you managing chaos. The right partner gives you leverage by delivering vetted talent who can plug in quickly and start contributing where it counts.

If you need a second opinion on your existing hiring process or just want to understand how offshore hiring works, feel free to reach out to us. No pushy sales stuff, just an honest conversation (we promise!).