In spite of the troubled global economy -- or more likely, because of it -- one of the few business sectors that continues to thrive is outsourcing. No wonder: Companies looking to cut expenses in the face of soft demand are keener than ever to hand off parts of their operations to lower-cost providers. As a result, outfits providing everything from third-party customer support and information technology services to back-office processing saw revenues grow last year by an average of 13 percent and expanded their workforces by 18 percent, according to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. Of course, that's no comfort to the millions of people in developed countries who are out of work. But it does mean that major outsourcing providers, from IBM and Capgemini to Indian giants like Wipro and Infosys, are surviving the recession better than many companies.
