Unions are calling on government to help employers invest more in skills to help the UK compete against low-cost economies.
Speaking after Royal & Sun Alliance announced its plans to transfer 1,100 jobs to India, Amicus and Unifi warned that offshoring posed "an unprecedented threat" to the UK economy.
Amicus national secretary David Fleming, said that over 8,000 job losses have been announced, at Royal & Sun Alliance and Norwich Union, over the last few weeks, but these were "the tip of the iceberg".
"The government needs to make raising skills a priority," he said. "Policies to enable to UK to compete need to be actioned with urgency to reverse employer under investment in training and development which will hamstring the UK service sector if it is allowed to continue."
The union said the UK had the second lowest level of investment in training per head in Europe and called for the government to act urgently upon its recent commitments to increase skills levels in the UK.
"If the UK is to benefit from globalisation and free markets then there needs to be a significant change in attitude to skills and training from employers. Amicus is calling on the government to do more to encourage employers to invest in skills for the long term," Mr Flemming added.
