Impact sourcing is growing slowly, reaching into more areas of the world and affecting rural workers as well as those in large cities. But as a report from the Rockefeller Foundation and The William Davidson Institute points out, Impact Sourcing changes the lives of workers, their families and members of their communities.
Source: Samasource’s Q1 2013 Social Impact Report
Positive Impacts of Outsourcing
A report titled Impact Sourcing: Assessing the Opportunity for Building a Thriving Industry summarizes the positive impacts of outsourcing for workers:
- Improved income and family security.
- Increased employment and income opportunities for women.
- Additional community development activities performed by ISSPs.
The report from Samasource contains hard data which confirms that the ability to earn a regular income has the power to change the lives of workers in economically challenged areas of the world. Impact Sourcing Service Provider’s workers earn nearly $2 million in income, supporting an average of 3.6 income dependents each. By the end of this year, Samasource expects to impact more than 20,000 women and youth.
Family Members Benefit
When ISSPs discuss the impact that their work has on BPO workers, they rarely include the residual beneficiaries of new work opportunities. Many of these workers are women and youth, who traditionally have had a more difficult time finding work than their male counterparts. ISSPs bring the work closer to home thereby allowing all families to stay closer together. Impact sourcing however builds more than bank accounts; workers have been known to continuously gain confidence in their abilities hence leading to future career opportunities.
This confidence goes on to translate to their personal relationships as well. After honing in on their skills with ISSPs, some workers decide to pursue higher education, progressing in their career in ways they might not have been able to previously. Impact Sourcing is growing quickly, but there are ways in which both ISSPs and businesses can help improve the global adoption of Business Process Outsourcing. Read more about the Enablers for Global Impact Sourcing.
Check out more of Samasource’s findings: