The amount of work being outsourced to developing economies by UK small businesses jumped 35 per cent in a single year, new figures suggest.

A study of 2,200 businesses by Freelancer.co.uk revealed a jump in jobs being rolled out to places like India, Pakistan, the Philippines and China.

People answering the survey said the move saved money and allowed them to complete complex tasks in IT and computer programming that couldn’t be done cost-effectively in the UK.

The trend is set continue, with 43 per cent of respondents planning to outsource more work abroad in 2015.

“Small businesses in the UK are looking to outsource overseas to cut costs but also to increase their own capacity,” said Bill Little, European Director of Freelancer.co.uk.

Rather than turning away contracts for work, they are taking it on and outsourcing it for less abroad to boost profits.”