In the business services sector, over 260,000 people work in Poland. people. They found employment in one of the 1,200 companies operating in this area. Who are they looking for, what are their requirements, and what are their conditions?

The nature of business services provided in centers in Poland is very diverse. Up to several dozen business processes are part of the wide list of performed tasks. According to the Hays Poland Payroll Report, just like last year centers providing IT, finance, and accounting services are the most numerous. Entities providing banking services are also strongly represented, HR and Investment (BFSI) as well as customer contact services.

The knowledge of the foreign language is still in demand

Most companies provide services on a global scale, providing the highest quality service, regardless of the foreign language used. The most popular language – required by all centers – remains English. The next places in the popularity ranking are German, French, Italian and Spanish. Less than half of the centers also conduct their operations in Dutch, Russian, Portuguese, Czech, Danish and Norwegian. Hungarian, Finnish, Ukrainian, Slovak and Turkish are definitely less common. However, there are centers in Poland that offer services even in Japanese, Serbian and Hebrew.

Diversity in terms of foreign languages ​​used makes business service centers more and more often a workplace for foreigners who speak their national language and English. It is estimated that nowadays foreigners constitute 10 percent. employed in service centers in Poland. Most often they come from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, but also Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. More and more employees also come from India, Germany, France and Great Britain.

Who will they hire?

Most companies plan to increase employment. As in the previous year, most offers will be directed to specialists in the areas of finance and accounting, customer service, IT and broadly understood administration and HR. At the same time, the same percentage of companies expect difficulties in finding new employees.

Planned activities include recruiting temporary or contract workers, as well as organizing internships, enabling young people to join the organization and, after a period of internship, to become permanently associated with it.

Employers are planning to pay raises and extending the benefits package. Unfortunately, the Hays study shows that the fringe benefits package may not fully meet the needs of employees. For employees, private medical care is of the greatest importance, but in an extended package and the possibility of flexible work. Some companies opt for other solutions or do not have the benefits mentioned in their offer.

Where will the work be?

The largest share in terms of employment and market maturity is invariably in Kraków, Warsaw and Wrocław. However, taking into account the number of new investments, the Tri-City market, the Katowice Agglomeration, Łódź and Poznań can boast of high dynamics. A lot is also happening in Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Rzeszów and Szczecin.

ABSL data shows, among others that the BPO industry is most strongly represented in Łódź, Poznań and Warsaw, while IT and R&D centers in Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów and the Katowice Agglomeration – lists Aleksandra Tyszkiewicz, director at Hays Poland.

For the development of the sector and the implementation of ambitious employment plans, both the expansion of existing centers and new, most often foreign investments are important. American, British, German and Scandinavian investments dominated in the past months. Investors from Asian countries also appeared. Investors appreciate the local availability of modern office space, infrastructure and communication as well as their quality. The prospects for cooperation with local authorities and universities are also getting better.