Europe has surpassed North America as the biggest practitioner of outsourcing, according to a survey by sourcing advisory firm TPI.

The survey shows that the UK is the second biggest user of outsourcing, behind the US, while Canada takes the third slot.

Based upon figures, European businesses became the world’s biggest outsourcing spenders, surpassing North America for the first time, and TPI expects it will round out the year as the leader, with a $1.2 billion lead leading into the final financial quarter.

Last year, North America spent $29.6 billion outsourcing business functions such as call centres, back-office processing and IT services, beating out Europe, which recorded an outlay of $28.7 billion.