The reader of this paper will find a proposal for a definition of outsourcing that intends to be both analytically rigorous and politically useful. We argue that outsourcing is the workers' hiring process that is done through interposed company, whose ultimate objective is to reduce costs in relation to workforce and/or 'externalize' workers' conflicts. Although this formulation seems simple, and in fact it is, it is not consensual. As indicated in this paper, outsourcing is an object of study of several disciplines and there are many controversies concerning its definition within each one. This text is the result of extensive literature research and case studies carried out by the authors throughout their postgraduate studies.
outsourcing; subcontracting; labor