The Association of Business Service Leaders in the Czech Republic (ABSL) was formed in 2013 to give the business services industry a common voice to help shape its environment and destiny. ABSL Members include companies which conduct business in the area of Shared Services Centre (SSC), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Research and Development (R&D). By now, the Association has got more than 100 members, mostly major operations in the area of shared services and business outsourcing. This segment is a strong employment resource in the Czech Republic - at present, there are around 350 centers in the Czech Republic employing nearly 145,000 people.