About 77% of shared service centers (SSCs) in Hungary plan to expand in future, survey results presented at a conference organized by the Hungarian Service and Outsourcing Association (HOA) in early February show, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

The share is up from 66% in a survey conducted in 2018, Corvinus University docent Robert Marciniak told the conference. During the same period, the share of SSCs that expects stagnating business volume fell to 20% from 31%, he added.
About half of SSCs manage accounting activities, while 27% provide IT support and 13% customer services, according to the survey.
Réka Komáromi, a partner at consultancy EY, said 205 SSCs, with a combined headcount of close to 74,000, operate in Hungary at present. 
Tünde Kis, deputy head of the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), said decision were taken on 25 investments in the sector last year, creating more than 3,000 jobs.

In January 2021, the digital service company Webhelp opened a new office in the Daugavpils University building. The company is now providing training for 60 employees and plans to increase their number in the near future.
“Global Business Services sector is growing rapidly in Latvia, and currently there are around 50 such companies employing 15 thousand people. Given that almost all of these companies operate in Riga or its neighbourhood, we are pleased that Webhelp has decided to open its office in Daugavpils city thus indicating that the GBS sector can successfully develop in other regions as well,“ says Kaspars Rožkalns, the Director of Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.

Webhelp specialises in customer services and payment management, as well as sales and marketing assistance using voice, social and digital channels. The company adapts a range of digital services for the various needs of their clients, taking into account user habits.
“Our company chose to open the new office in Daugavpils because of the city’s excellent location and the availability of the potential workforce. This is also a result of our great collaboration with LIAA, The Municipality of Daugavpils and the University of Daugavpils,” indicated Jānis Misāns, the Managing Director of “Webhelp Latvia”.
“The Municipality of Daugavpils highly appreciates the collaboration with LIAA facilitating the relocation of the international company WebHelp that works in the all-important IT sector and expands its team employing locals from our community. For many citizens, it is a splendid opportunity to start a career in their hometown. As the company resides in the Daugavpils University building, it is convenient to combine work with studies, if necessary,” highlights Igors Prelatovs, the Mayor of the Daugavpils City Council.
Webhelp has a network of 150 offices in 50 countries, and in 2019 its total turnover reached 1.5 billion euros. The company is already the leader of outsourced business services industry in Europe but has long-term goals of becoming the major service provider worldwide. Webhelp delivers high-quality digital services such as content moderation for social media or other platforms and payment administration among others. The company bases its operations on the newest Artificial Intelligence solutions.
Webhelp aims to contribute to the economic development of Daugavpils city and the region of Latgale by offering services and support for local as well as international clients. Offices in Riga and Daugavpils will specialise in providing services for the CIS region, therefore potential employees will need excellent Russian language skills and preferably English language skills as well.


Contact information of Webhelp Latvia:Jānis Misāns, “Webhelp Latvia” Managing Director
+371 67224437, [email protected] 

‘Circle K’ business service centre in Riga expands operations to North America, providing customer services to gas stations in Canada and the US, such as fuel logistics and real-time fuel monitoring services.
 
Since February 2021, ‘Circle K’ business service centre in Riga provides services to more than 7200 gas stations in the US and Canada. It is three times more than previously serviced gas stations in Europe. The team of 130 people can give customer support in English, French, and Scandinavian languages.
 
In the new export markets, ‘Circle K’ business centre’s logistics team based in Riga plans more than 900 million litre fuel delivery to 2700 gas stations. However, in the upcoming years, the number of serviced gas stations will increase. At the same time, the fuel supply control department is responsible for conducting real-time fuel monitoring. They decrease fuel waste, improve customer experience, and increase the efficiency of gas station operations. Currently, the Latvian team provides this service to already 3700 gas stations, but till the end of the year, they plan to add 2000 gas stations in Canada and the US. 
“Our team’s professional achievements have convinced the decision-makers across the ocean to allocate services for local gas stations to the office in Riga. It has allowed us to start operating in a new continent,” says ‘Circle K’ business centre manager Arturs Andzans.

Despite global pandemic, ‘Circle K’ business centre is expanding in new markets and has retained the annual employee increase, which is 10% yearly. In 2012, the company started with a team of 100 people, and currently, Circle K employs 670 people. 
“We are the largest office in ‘Circle K’ Group. Employees is the key to success, therefore, we spend a lot of attention to the selection process, as well as development and motivation programmes for our employees. We have a very creative approach, for instance, we have recruited Scandinavians who have moved to Latvia motivated by love. We also encourage expatriates to return to Latvia because, when working in Latvia, for example, you can still be the main accountant in Ireland,” notes Arturs Andzans.

Digiteum, a full-stack software development company, based out of Minsk has opened its offices in the Tricity. Digiteum is one of the first beneficiaries of the Come2Pomerania initiative by Invest in Pomerania and the Poland.Business Harbour program by the government of Poland.


Digiteum is a full-stack software development company. The Minsk team includes diverse specialists, including in-house designers, engineers, and management. The new office in Gdansk will be focused on the development, management, and sales from the beginning. Digiteum has already rolled out the recruitment and will start building up the team real soon. 
Digiteum plans to leverage the advantages of a new location in terms of sales. An office in the Tricity means that Digiteum can extend its outreach to new European markets and strengthen their existing relationships. We have a decade-long experience working with clients from the UK, Netherlands, Finland, etc. Setting up sales and development in Gdansk brings us closer to these and many other locations where we believe we could be a good fit, says Katherine Lazarevich is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Digiteum.
When asked about why Tricity, Katherine continues, We were considering different locations for a new office and leaned toward Tricity for several reasons. First of all, business-wise, this is a great location. It brings us closer to our existing European clients. At Digiteum, we are highly focused on nurturing client relationships, networking, meeting with people. The new office here is the key to make it happen. Moreover, proximity to the DACH and Nordic region gives us more opportunities to expand our client network and explore new markets.

Digiteum has solid experience in building up strong teams that work together for years and can create a system from even a high-level idea. The team in Minsk consists mainly of middle and senior engineers with a rich track record and a broad skill set. In Gdansk, they plan to start with a core full-stack team and therefore are looking for experienced engineers at first. It doesn’t rule out their interest in hiring young and prospective talent, however. Eventually, the main goal is to create such an environment where the teams in both locations could work in synergy, exchange experience, and take on projects together if needed.

Both the regional and national government has put together many programs to help IT specialists and companies to relocate to Poland. The regional government is offering its support and benefit via the Come2Pomerania initiative by Invest in Pomerania initiative where individuals receive help in finding jobs, and companies are offered support in terms of setting up and navigating the legalization process. We are proud to welcome Digiteum to Tricity and work with them to not only help them achieve their business objectives but also become a shining beacon for other companies that want to call Tricity their next destination. says Marcin Grzegory, Deputy Director, Invest in Pomerania.

Singapore-based business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider TDCX said on Wednesday that it has opened a campus in Bucharest, where it plans to hire 100 in its first year of operations.
TDCX is aiming to build a strong presence in the region and in Europe by servicing new clients as well as extending some of their
regional partnerships into global ones, it said in a press release.
TDCX added that it expects to employ upwards of 100 people within its first year of operations in Bucharest.
“Bucharest ticked many boxes for us to perfectly complement our recently established multi-lingual campus in Barcelona. Bucharest is not only one of the best locations in Europe but also offers a rich pool of exceptional and experienced digital talent to complement the high touch Barcelona offering with a consistent and coordinated approach," TDCX Europe senior vice-president Sophie Chelmick said.
"TDCX is experiencing an outstanding growth period and we are building a strong European arm for the TDCX group and for our global partners," Chelmick  added.
The new campus in Bucharest is TDCX's first in Eastern Europe.
"Although we are still operating in challenging global period this new market-entry by TDCX is an affirmation of the great talent availability and potential of our country as well as the business services industry," TDCX Romania country director Daniel Mereuta said.
TDCX is a leading global provider of outsourced digital customer care and sales acceleration solutions to brands. Founded in 1995, it now operates campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, Spain, Romania and Colombia.Its clients are active in a variety of areas such as digital advertising, e-commerce, travel and hospitality, technology, automotive, consumer electronics, and fintech sectors. 

3i Group plc announced a $120 million equity investment in recruitment process outsourcing provider Wilson Human Capital Group Inc., which operates as WilsonHCG. The investment company will take a majority stake in WilsonHCG.

The transaction agreement has been signed but has not yet closed. There are no plans for executive changes; 3i is backing WilsonHCG founder and CEO John Wilson and his management team.
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, WilsonHCG is a global business with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company provides talent solutions including RPO, executive search, contingent talent solutions and talent consulting. It operates across six continents and more than 65 countries in 50-plus languages.
3i Group, which invests in private equity and infrastructure, targets core investment markets in Northern Europe and North America. Its international network will enable WilsonHCG to continue expanding its global footprint.
“We have tracked the RPO space and WilsonHCG for several years,” said 3i Partner Andrew Olinick. “WilsonHCG’s high-performance culture and deep commitment to driving superior outcomes for its clients give us conviction that the company will continue to grow rapidly in its markets. The business is highly regarded and is continuing its international expansion journey, following the recent acquisition of Profile in Asia, where we see the opportunity for WilsonHCG to serve its clients across all talent acquisition solutions.”

Softeq Development Corporation (Softeq) has announced the opening of a full-stack development center in Vilnius, Lithuania. This move is part of the company’s strategic plan to cater to a larger pool of companies across Europe and other adjacent regions. In Vilnius, Softeq envisions building a team of up to 150 software, hardware, and firmware specialists over the next three years.
Established in 1997, Softeq initially focused on technical software (hence, the company name), and gradually grew to offer full-cycle engineering services ranging from programming on the driver and OS level to building complex end-to-end ecosystems, including IoT solutions. In 2008, the company expanded its presence globally by opening a development center in Minsk, Belarus. Softeq firmly established itself in Europe after acquiring NearShore Solutions GmbH and opening an office in Munich, Germany. In November 2020, the company opened the Softeq Innovation Lab to help global enterprise intrapreneurs discover and develop early-stage transformational business ideas powered by technology.
The new base in Vilnius will serve as a go-to development center for the company’s EMEA clients, covering all potential requests from hardware and firmware design to application development and support.
“Softeq helps clients make the transition to digital across an entire spectrum from early-stage ideation in our Innovation Lab to end-to-end engineering services provided by our growing development centers. Our new development center in Vilnius will support building complex solutions involving innovative new software, applications, cloud back-ends, firmware, and hardware all under one roof,” explains Christopher A. Howard, Founder & CEO of Softeq.