Singapore trails peers at 177th in global outsourcing talent index

Three Southeast Asian markets placed in global top 10 with Philippines topping 193-country list.

Singapore placed 177th out of 193 countries in the 2026 Global Outsourcing Talent Index ranking by offshore talent/virtual assistant firm Ataraxis, also placing last among Southeast Asian markets.

The index evaluates countries across five variables, namely labour cost, English language proficiency, talent availability, digital infrastructure, and political stability. It is based on a weighted model where labour cost carries the highest weighting, followed by English proficiency and talent availability.

Singapore scored 100/100 in English proficiency but recorded a labour cost score of 46/100, which Ataraxis said reduces its overall competitiveness in outsourcing and offshore hiring comparisons.

The index ranked the Philippines number 1 globally, followed by Malaysia at 2nd and Indonesia at 8th. Southeast Asia placed three countries in the global top 10, more than any other region.

The Philippines is the only country in the index scoring 90 or above across labour cost, English proficiency, and talent availability simultaneously, according to Ataraxis.

Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines all rank ahead of China at 37th whilst also ranking above all G7 economies and EU member states, including the United States , Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Ataraxis said the index is intended to provide a structured comparison of outsourcing destinations using public datasets and a consistent scoring framework across 193 countries.

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