The Times today publishes an article which examines the flow of 'back office' jobs and call centre operations to the Asian continent.

India and China appear to be the main beneficiaries of a situation where back office work, data processing and storage, call centre operations and paper pushing can be carried out far more cheaply by Asian workers than by workers in the UK.

The move is becoming particularly attractive for finance industry companoies such as the french owned AXA group, Sun Life, Provincial Holdings.

Royal & Sun Alliance are already reported to have an operation in India run by a British Airway's subsidiary called Speedwing

Trade Unions such as the finance and banking union Unifi, are reporting that they are watching the situation closely.