Insee Première · July 2026 · n° 2115

Between 2021 and 2023, Two‑Thirds of Enterprises Involved in International Outsourcing Chose Destinations within Europe

Between 2021 and 2023, only 2.0% of enterprises with 50 or more employees and operating in predominantly market sectors – some 500 enterprises – relocated at least one activity abroad. This share was 6.5% among enterprises with 500 or more employees. Such international outsourcing mainly involved multinationals, particularly those under foreign control, as well as industrial enterprises and those in the information and communication sector. For eight out of ten multinationals that outsourced abroad, these transfers took place within their own group.

A majority of relocations took place within Europe. Industrial activities were more frequently than average relocated to Western Europe, administration and management activities to Central and Eastern Europe, information and communication technology services to India, and marketing and sales to the Maghreb. Reducing labour costs was the main motivation for international outsourcing, particularly in the industrial sector.

Over the same period, only 1.0% of enterprises – around 250 – backsourced at least one activity, mainly multinationals and industrial enterprises. Most backsourced activities were also relocated from Europe.