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Offshoring has quickly moved from a staffing workaround to a core operating strategy in public accounting.

But does it actually improve firm performance?

Rob Brown and Chelsea Summers unpack what the latest IPA data shows about how offshoring is impacting growth, profitability and productivity across firms.

They explore how adoption has expanded across firm sizes, why larger firms are further along in building global teams and how smaller firms are beginning to experiment with similar models.

The conversation also highlights a central tension in the data. Firms using offshore staff are reporting higher partner income and slightly higher growth. At the same time, traditional productivity metrics like revenue per FTE appear lower.

Rob and Chelsea discuss what is driving that shift and why it may not be a negative signal, but rather a reflection of increased capacity and different staffing structures.

They also explore how offshoring is evolving beyond compliance work into areas like client accounting services, analytics and advisory support.

Offshoring is no longer just a staffing solution. It is becoming part of how firms design their operating model.