Outsourcing to India is no longer as cheap as it used to be. The race to the bottom of bargain basement prices for skilled workers has shifted in a different direction, a little further east to be exact.

If you’re constantly on the hunt for cheap labour, you’ve probably already heard that Filipinos are doing it cheaper, and doing it better. Well, certainly if you’ve spoken to enough Filipinos.

I am a firm believer in outsource arbitrage. If somebody abroad is willing to do work cheaply and to a high standard, I have no problems in taking business away from my own country. This has become widespread not just on a small business level, but in worldwide corporations that are desperate to maximise profits.

In an economic sense, it’s a disaster. How can America and the UK continue to thrive if jobs are being sent off-shore? We hear a lot of media scaremongering about jobs not being created but everybody knows, this is bullshit. Jobs are being created. They’re just being filled with cheaper labour from a warmer climate. It’s tough to envision a situation where that trend will be reversed.

So it’s on that basis that I recommend EasyOutsource as a good stomping ground for those looking to hire labour without paying the premium.

EasyOutsource was recommended to me by a friend when I asked him who had been responsible for the swish custom coding job behind one of his sites. I was pretty stunned when he told me the wages he was paying his staff, and it was much more competitive than the rates you typically see on Elance and oDesk.

EasyOutsource is free to use, and is essentially no more than a portal bringing buyers and service providers together. There are zero hoops to jump through. Just register a profile and post a job, or cruise through the profiles of workers and message them directly if you so wish.

It’s very easy, though I can understand why serious project managers would have apprehension about dealing with workers in such an uncontrolled marketplace.

I say this time and time again, but it never loses relevance. Outsourcing is an art. You cannot expect to simply bagsy a foreign worker, throw them a brief and expect it delivered to spec without any hiccups along the way. This applies to EasyOutsource and every other freelancing site on the planet.

You really need to spend time weeding out the pretenders from the legitimate workers who can add to your business. Get them on Skype and ask to speak directly to the individuals who will be responsible for the work.

I once took on a highly skilled University graduate who wrote like a fluent subcontinental Shakespeare in her briefing. I was impressed, almost shamed by her writing. But that means very little if she delegates the actual work to her bumbling school children and their shaky grasp of ‘Indlish‘. Which is exactly what she did.

Also beware of the super talented programmers who tell you they’re capable of working full-time, but take 2 days to reply to the shortest email. (ie. “Hello, are you working, you cheeky little shit?“)

Outsourcing effectively is a skilled art. Outsourcing unwisely is a waste of time, energy and subsequently your will to live. If you’re going to do it, put some thought in to it.

Recommended This Week:

• If you’re looking for a more professional outsourcing solution, definitely take a look at Pepper Virtual Assistants. They were featured on ProBlogger last week and stand out as reliable, if slightly pricier, proposition.

• Subscribe to my new FinchSells RSS feed. And if you don’t already follow me, add FinchSells to your Twitter. Merci beaucoup!