Global Value Chains, Services Offshoring And The Role Of Human Resources: Lessons From Argentina

ANDRÉS LÓPEZ; ANDRÉS ALBERTO NIEMBRO; DANIELA RAMOS

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; 9na. Conferencia Internacional GLOBELICS; 2011

GLOBELICS, UNGS, UNQ, UNSAM, CIC

Services have long been a dominant sector in the global economy, as they account for most of GDP and employment in developed economies, as in much of the developing world. The importance of this sector is not only quantitative but also qualitative, especially if we consider that in many services sectors the main competitive factors are related to their respective knowledge basis. Thus, to the extent that human capital is an increasingly crucial factor for competitiveness, having a quality education system is a growing priority. One of the main drivers of delocalization of knowledge-intensive services is the search of qualified human resources at a lower cost than in host economies and the aim to find talent and creativity offshore. For developing countries, this means both an opportunity and a challenge. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the determinants of Argentinean service sector competitiveness and the factors that contribute or might contribute to the insertion of this sector into global value chains, in particular, the role of human capital.