The creation of 22 centres should be financed from the Recovery Plan.Many smaller municipalities in Slovakia struggle to perform certain tasks and duties effectively. There are now plans to solve several of these problems by establishing shared service centres at the local level.
Their creation is also part of Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, with €11.4 million being allocated for this purpose. The Association of Towns and Villages of Slovakia (ZMOS) announced in early February that in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, they are working on a call to create such centres in 22 areas in central and eastern Slovakia. Four should be situated in Banská Bystrica Region, 10 in Prešov Region and eight in Košice Region. “The aim is to support municipalities that search for ways to provide better services to their inhabitants, on the basis of joint provision of certain agendas,” the Interior Ministry’s press department told The Slovak Spectator. ZMOS representatives added that they are starting pilot projects. The plan is to test and implement the basic elements of integrated public administration in the least developed districts, said Gabriel Mihály, mayor of the village of Jesenské, in central Slovakia, and head of the public administration section at ZMOS Council. Source: Slovak Spectator The salaries in the local business services industry have seen a 4% increase in March 2024 compared to September 2023, according to the HR Barometer conducted by the Business Service Leaders Association (ABSL) and PwC Romania.
Bucharest leads in salary increase levels at 4.7%, while the region of Banat - Transylvania witnessed an increase of only 2.1%. The staff categories that have seen increases are those of executive manager (9.8%), team leader (3.8%), specialist (3.9%), administrative staff (4.4%) and operator (1.9%). The employees working in sectors such as finance, accounting, HR, and support positions received the highest increases. The business services industry is estimated to see an increase of 8% in the payroll budget this year, in line with the market trend. One in three companies has already implemented this in the first quarter of the year, the survey found. The increased taxation on benefits popular in the industry, such as meal or holiday vouchers or sport subscriptions, had a negative impact on HR policies. Four out of five employers now grant the benefits in gross value, with the taxation passed on to the employees. A smaller percentage of employers plans to compensate totally or partially the loss incurred by employees for various benefits (4% in the case of holiday vouchers and 34% in that of meal vouchers). The companies in the industry plan to continue offering benefits such as sports or medical subscriptions and private pensions. While parental benefits start to look appealing to employees, only 4% of the companies in the industry offer additional days off for employees who are parents, and three out of four companies offer paid days off over the legal limit allowed in the case of fathers. At the same time, only 18% of the companies in the business services industry are considering reducing their HR costs, with most reductions to be made in the payroll (capping). The rest of the companies in the industry continue to allot resources for training and development, but also for employer branding and employee retention. More than half of the companies in the industry require a minimum number of days worked in the office (between one and three days), while flexibility remains important for a third of survey respondents. “The salary dynamics records a slight decrease compared to previous years, even in industries where the competition for talent remains high. Against the background of macroeconomic uncertainty and the expansion of automatization to an increasingly higher number of processes, the workforce demand is decreasing, as is the individual mobility at the employee level. In the short term, we are seeing a normalization of labor market relations, which had turned extremely difficult for employers in recent years,” Oana Munteanu, director, People & Organization with PwC, explained. “The quality of the labor force compared to its cost has long represented a competitive advantage in attracting investors to Romania. In this context, the increasingly frequent talks about the progressive tax without talks with the business sector, predictability, and a national strategy that would support economic growth and retaining a highly qualified workforce can impact us negatively,” Cătălin Iorgulescu, VP of ABSL, said. The HR Barometer was conducted by PwC Romania in partnership with ABSL at the end of March among 50 companies. Visma Tech, a leading IT firm and a key division of the Norwegian Visma Group and one of the largest IT companies in Lithuania, announced its move to a new office in Vilnius, accompanied by ongoing team expansion in Lithuania, aiming to attract top-tier talent within the country.
Visma Tech chose the Artery building at the heart of Vilnius’ central business district to foster innovation and collaboration. The new office features state-of-the-art technological resources and versatile workspaces that match the company’s values of innovation and collaboration. With the addition of this office, Visma Tech aims to bolster its workforce, focusing on attracting and retaining top-tier talent, particularly in specialized roles such as software development, DevOps, and quality assurance. According to Agnius Paradnikas, the company’s Managing Director, the decision to continuously strengthen its presence in Lithuania – the company has offices both in Vilnius and Kaunas – was made for several reasons: "Our trust in Lithuania as a strategic location is primarily motivated by the quality talent, work culture, and growth opportunities. Here, at Visma Tech Lithuania, we attract outstandingly motivated and loyal employees resulting in the average duration of employment at Visma of 5+ years. If this positive trend continues, I am pretty confident we will reach 300 employees shortly and even go beyond", said Agnius Paradnikas, Visma Tech's Managing Director. Bulgaria's Telelink Business Services Group, or TBS Group, [BUL:TBS] signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Croatian IT, communication and software solutions provider Sedam IT for 9 million euro ($9.7 million).The final purchase price will be paid in stages, based on the agreed company value and depending on its financial debt, cash and net working capital at the date of transfer of company shares, as well as its financial results for 2024 and 2025, TBS Group said in a bourse filing on Tuesday.
Zagreb-based Sedam IT, founded in 2003, is a leading Croatian provider of ICT solutions and services, according to its LinkedIn profile. The company has completed over 400 projects in the telecommunications, finance, retail and public enterprises sectors. The BMW Group and NTT DATA Romania have signed an agreement to establish a Joint Venture (JV) in Romania. The BMW Group is thus continuing to expand its global network for its corporate IT and is securing talent and experience in the software sector. The execution of the JV contract is subject to review and approval by the relevant authorities.
The JV benefits from NTT DATA’s many years of experience in agile software development and its excellent network in the local Romanian IT community. The new location in Romania is intended to support the BMW Group IT in Europe and drive forward IT-projects and innovations for production, development, human resources, sales and BMW Financial Services. “With NTT DATA, we are relying on another strong partner that has an excellent network in a lively technology region and enables us to build up additional software competencies quickly and in a targeted manner. In collaboration with companies like NTT DATA we can establish strong IT hubs and thereby give an answer to the shortage of IT experts,” says Alexander Buresch, CIO and Senior Vice President of BMW Group IT. “We are proud to announce our plans to open a new software development center for software solutions in Cluj-Napoca together with BMW Group. This collaboration aims to assist the carmaker in leading the digital transformation," says Maria Metz, CEO at NTT DATA Romania. The JV is to be set up in Cluj-Napoca in Romania. The university town offers a strong ecosystem for innovation with solid entrepreneurship, startups and a high number of talents in the tech scene. This creates high potential for long-term growth of the JV. The JV is expected to employ around 250 software developers at the end of 2024 and plans to grow to a four-digit number of employees by 2027. German multinational Bosch said it will establish a new legal entity, a new company named Bosch Global Business Services, in Timisoara, western Romania, where it will transfer approximately 1,400 employees from Bosch Service Solutions SRL.
"Bosch is expanding by establishing a new legal entity in Timisoara, Bosch Global Business Services SRL, a decision that will impact approximately 1,400 employees. The Global Business Services division will be transferred from Bosch Service Solutions SRL, a company present in Timisoara since 2007, to a new legal entity. This organizational change will not impact the working conditions of the transferred employees," the company stated in a press release. Bosch Global Business Services is among the largest Shared Services centers in Eastern Europe. The division in Timisoara offers a range of administrative services, enhancing the efficiency of Bosch's internal operations. The controlling department in Timisoara manages a range of services, from financial data extraction, budget estimation and planning, to reporting to Bosch management. Additionally, the division provides financial, HR, and accounting services for the Bosch Group. Logistics and procurement are also handled from Timisoara, optimizing Bosch's supply chain operations. The entity also manages travel orders and reimbursement request processes. With over 10,000 employees worldwide, Bosch Service Solutions is an international provider of technology-based services. "We continue to heavily invest in expanding our service portfolio to cover all shared services areas and manage the complexity of tasks for established teams," said Martin Gladigow, General Manager of Bosch Global Business Services in Timisoara. Since 2007, Bosch Service Solutions in Timisoara has been providing services to the Bosch Group and the Romanian market. In 2010, the collaboration with Global Business Services began. At the end of last year, there were approximately 2,000 employees in the two entities in Timisoara. The Bosch Group has been present in Romania for 29 years and has approximately 9,830 employees in six entities. In 2022, Bosch generated consolidated sales of EUR 512 million on the Romanian market. The total net sales value, including sales to unconsolidated companies and internal deliveries to affiliates, reached EUR 2.1 billion. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its approximately 470 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. At 136 locations worldwide, Bosch has approximately 85,500 associates engaged in research and development, nearly 44,000 of whom are software engineers. Norwegian business services provider Norian has announced plans to expand its Lithuanian base. The company is looking to add at least 100 full-time specialists to its team in Vilnius over the next three years.
Oslo-headquartered Norian is one of the leading providers of Accounting, Payroll, and Intelligent Automation solutions in Northern Europe. Currently serving over 1,500 corporate clients across the continent, Norian helps companies in a wide range of industries to simplify their business and administrative processes. The company employs 600 specialists in 6 countries. In 2005, Norian established a financial transactions center in Lithuania. Over time, both the center’s headcount and list of functions expanded considerably. Today, Norian has a 350-strong team in Vilnius, making the Lithuanian office the company’s largest. Most of Norian’s team in Vilnius provide these services in Scandinavian languages, directly in contact with both end-customers and financial authorities in Scandinavia. The specialists can develop the necessary linguistic skills in the company’s in-house language school. Moreover, Norian has a strong RPA and ERP team in Vilnius, which ensures continuous improvement of processes and highly automated solutions for clients. Currently, Norian is looking for Accounting, Payroll and IT specialists to join its growing Lithuanian team. In total, the company expects to hire at least 100 employees over the next three years. NTT DATA, the German arm of renowned global IT innovator NTT Group, is joining forces with Lithuanian end-to-end IT consulting provider Reiz Tech supporting global market leaders to co-found LITIT. The joint venture will be looking to bring up to 100 specialists on board in its first year of operations, with plans for a strong expansion in the next few years.
The new company will be focused on providing IT consultancy and IT-based solutions, including custom software development, strategic IT consulting, and support for applications and data platforms. The DACH region will be its geographic focus and industries such as automotive, financial services, and logistics will be a strategic target. Kristina Kikalienė, CEO of LITIT, cites the strong track record of collaboration between the two companies as the driving force behind establishing the joint venture. 277 top execs from 103 Business Services Centers across CEE attended the 12th annual CEE Business Services Summit & Awards. 119 top companies were Short-Listed as finalists in 33 Awards categories. In a tight competition among world-class firms, votes from our 25-member VIP Jury were combined with our Popular Vote from all attendees via the Brella platform. The combined voting distinguished the following winners:
This 12th annual event was organized by European Business Services Association and CEE Business Media, and MC'ed by Thom Barnhardt. The Awards were preceded by the 2-day Summit, with 44 Panelists and Speakers on topics top-of-mind for BSC execs, including 17 Showcase Presentations of top BSCs from across CEE. Partners of the event included: Transparent, Steelcase, AICPA-CIMA, Adaptive, Cencora, High Radius, Proservartner, HIPA Hungary, City of Pecs (Hungary), PWC, and Itelence. Attendees: Top execs from the region's leading Business Services Centres attended, including from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Additional guests joined from UK, USA, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland. Companies attending included: ABB, ABSL Latvia,ABSL Romania,Adaptive SAG,AFR,AICPA-CIMA,Alcon,All Funds,Allianz Services,Amadeus,AmCham Slovakia,Antal,Aptiv,Arxada, ASPIRE,Avon,AXA XL,Booking Holdings,Capita,CEE Business Media,Cencora,Citco Fund Services Lithuania,Cognizant Technology Solutions,Colliers,Cushman & Wakefield Polska, CzechInvest,Danish Crown,Danone,Danske Bank Lithuania,Dexcom,DNB Bank,Eaton,EDP, Elanco Solution Center,Euroclear,European Business Services Association,Fab Lab Iasi,Gates Business Services Europe,Gates Business Services Europe,Giglife,H4H,Harmodesk,Heineken, High Radius,HIPA Hungary,Holcim,HRS Group,Huntsman (Poland),IBA Group,IG Group,INVEST IN POMERANIA,Invest Lithuania,ISS World Services Poland,Itelence,Johnson Matthey Global Solutions,JTI GBS Poland,Kimberly Clark EMEA GBS Services,Linklaters,LTTS,Malecki Executive Search,Markant Services International, Marsh,Mercer,Metsä Wood,Metso Global Business Services,Mettler Toledo,Moderna Enterprise Solution Hub,Moody's Lithuania,MSA Safety,MSC Shared Service Center Riga,NIO,Nordea,OMV AG,Orlen,Page Executive,Pandora,Pecs, City of,Porsche Holding,Proservartner,PS-BPO,PWC,Randstad Sourceright Kft,RandstadSourceright,Riga Investment and Tourism Agency,Roche Services & Solutions Riga,Rzeszow, City of,SARIO Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency,Savencia,SD Worx Poland,SEB Global Services,Sii,Societe Generale Global Solution Centre,Sony Music,Standard Chartered,Steelcase,Strategic Staffing Solutions, Telia Global Services Lithuania,Tesco Business Services,ThyssenKrupp,Transparent,Trivium Packaging,Verita HR Polska,Vodafone Intelligent Solutions (_VOIS),Weleda,Worldline. Save the Date: 5-6 March 2025 for the 13h annual CEE Business Services Summit & Awards. Www.EuropeanBusinessServices.com Northvolt, a manufacturer of environmentally sustainable battery cells and systems, has decided to establish a Business Scaling Center in Gdansk along with a Research and Development Center for IT services.
Northvolt is growing rapidly and currently employs 5.500 people. For the foreseeable future, much of the expansion and employment growth will take place in Europe, where battery cells are already being produced at the first Gigafactory in Sweden, and the construction of another production facility of similar scale in Germany is planned. The company is also preparing to make an investment in Canada. – It is with great satisfaction that I announce another milestone in the development of Northvolt’s operations in Poland. Previous experience of the company’s operation in Gdansk has proven that it is a good place to invest, primarily due to the possibility of employing talented and committed employees who live in the region – says Robert Chryc-Gawrychowski, president of the Polish company Northvolt. The Business Scaling Center (Northvolt Global Scaling Services) is the company’s response to the rapid pace of growth and the need to seek sustainable solutions to ensure the company’s growth and efficiency. – Northvolt’s rapid growth in our region testifies to the creation of good conditions for the development of global business from various industries. I appreciate that thanks to the expansion of Northvolt’s current operations with a modern R&D center and SSC, Pomerania will become an even more important location on the global map of our investor – noted Mieczyslaw Struk, Marshal of Pomorskie Voivodeship. Employees of the new company will support Northvolt in areas such as finance and accounting, purchasing, supply chain management, IT services and HR. This will ensure efficient operation and sustainable growth of the company. – Our ambitions for Northvolt Global Scaling Services go far beyond the standards of a Shared Service Center. We will play a key role in realizing Northvolt’s growth aspirations. We will become a center for value creation through efficient service delivery and state-of-the-art process management – adds Alexander Streif, vice president of supply chain excellence and business scaling at Northvolt. Recruitment for the Business Scaling Center has already begun, and the company plans to hire about 90 people by the end of 2024. Since its inception, Northvolt in Gdansk has received significant support from Invest in Pomerania. Starting with providing assistance in the process of site selection and the start of construction, specialists from the initiative coordinated by the Pomerania Development Agency took care of the Swedish industry’s key investment. In the past year, an employer branding campaign was carried out, the effects of which could be seen in the urban space. Representatives of Invest in Pomerania are advising Northvolt on the choice of the target location of the Business Scaling Center, emphasizing the strategic importance of the mobility sector for the future of the region’s economy. |
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