Ward said the topic of offshoring is addressed when contracts are negotiated, because it is seen as the next "wave" of productivity above and beyond local outsourcing.

"Most executives like to see their work stay onshore, but the reality is that for a lot of companies they will be forced to investigate offshore opportunities to remain competitive," Ward said.

"Today, all of our contracts are legacy contracts that were signed up with local delivery models; however, several of our clients are exploring offshore models with us.

"Unisys currently has two main centers for offshoring - Bangalore and Shanghai for business process outsourcing (BPO) work. We also use Malaysia for BPO work and the Philippines. Some of our existing clients also see a benefit in having the outsourcing company offshore the work for them as it puts a buffer between them offshoring themselves."

Mike Scott, general manager of HR services with Accenture Australia, said the company anticipates increased spending on outsourced IT and business processes in Australia both for onshore and offshore service provision.