You won’t hear a lot of support for “socially responsible outsourcing” on the U.S. presidential campaign trail, but it could be a major force in global poverty reduction.
Companies in California’s tech-friendly Bay Area need people who can do digital work. That demand has given rise to more organizations using technology to connect people in developing countries with employment opportunities. In “socially responsible outsourcing,” some see an opportunity for the private sector to help direct a $300 billion outsourcing industry toward global poverty reduction goals.
“This is the future of work,” said Radha Basu, the founder of iMerit, a computing company that does what it calls “global smartsourcing” to transform lives through digital work. By training and employing rural youth and women, iMerit aims to fill a void in the $100 billion Indian information technology industry. “Some of the most important skills today are in social media and mobile and analytics and cloud and ecommerce. A large number of people are required to work with that large amount of data,” she continued. “If we can develop and really scale, working with other organizations globally so we become more of a catalyst, then you have created a digital workforce of young men and women who are using this to get out of poverty.”
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
