A new poll has predicted that more companies will start to use IT outsourcing in the coming years.

Research carried out by services company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) asked 514 outsourcing providers in 50 countries about how they expect the industry to perform in the future.

The firms expect demand for IT outsourcing is likely to grown in the next 18 to 36 months, especially in areas such as contact centres and business process management, with many already increasing staff numbers and investing in new services.

In addition, the study suggested there is evidence that the popularity of near-sourcing, or using providers which are based close to them, is likely to grow in the future.

Dr Charles Aird, managing director of PwC, commented: “Growing competition has transformed the outsourcing industry into a global race for market share.”

Last year’s Advisor and Business/IT Service Provider Pulse Survey, published by EquaTerra, revealed that three-quarters of IT outsourcing providers have seen their new deal pipelines grow.