Several dozen thousand new jobs each year
According to the report “10 Years of the Business Services Sector in Poland”, by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ) and HAYS, this industry generates around 150 thousand jobs, matching in this regard traditional sectors of the economy, such as the automotive industry. However, the exact number of people working in BPO/SSC in Poland is not available. Data provided by Pro Progressio, a foundation operating for the development of the outsourcing industry in Poland, show that this market has expanded even more than various reports would suggest.
The majority of studies do not cover, for instance, Polish companies operating as Call Contact Centres, which constitute a major part of business services. There are Call Centres which employ several hundred or even more than a thousand people, and these are by no means singular. We have estimated that the industry is about to reach 200,000 jobs, and its rapid growth will continue to remain at the present level in the near future, said Wiktor Doktór, President of Pro Progressio. Of note, employment in business services varies between individual regions. Although some cities, such as Kraków and Warsaw, have long established themselves as centres of operations, smaller destinations, such as Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów, are emerging as robust players.
Future directions
This continued expansion of the employment within business services should certainly be considered by those who are now facing the choice as to their further course of education. The distribution of processes delivered by outsourcing companies shows that the most promising opportunities are offered by studies related to IT, financial/accounting, and HR/payroll services. Although these careers are traditionally associated with strong and hard professional skills, BPO/SSC puts an equal emphasis on soft skills. Being a good team-worker, being independent and creative, as well as being willing to take the initiative – are the personal traits that will certainly help you make your way in this industry. The volatile nature of this sector also makes it necessary to embrace change and feel comfortable with accommodating to new processes, said Wiktor Doktór.
Good times for foreign language speakers
Due to the fact that the majority of services provided in centres of operations are designed for foreign customers, fluency in foreign languages has become a must. So far, the ability to use any language other than your native one and English was not a prerequisite, although it constituted an additional asset. Currently, another foreign language (with fluency in English being considered a norm) is no longer only “welcome”, but, in many cases, is required from candidates. This is so because many centres of operations located in Poland provide services in several dozen foreign languages. Leading foreign languages include German, French and Spanish, but some employees also speak Chinese, Turkish or one of the Scandinavian tongues. When choosing which language to learn, it is also important to consider the location where you intend to seek work. What is highly valued is fluency in the languages of our neighbouring states, which are happy to locate their new operations in Poland.
How much can you earn in a shared service centre?
Professionals working in business services, in positions with basically no previous experience required, are paid at least PLN 2,500 gross a month. There is, however, virtually no upper limit. Senior management with considerable expertise and long work experience can expect a salary of several dozen thousand PLN. It is difficult to characterise the standard pay, since it can vary for the same position across different locations of centres of operations. Differences between individual Polish locations go as far as several dozen percent. For instance, according to data by Best2Invest.org, an online service, average pay in the Tri-City area is different from the average national pay by +3%, while in Bydgoszcz or Lublin – by ca. -13% Your pay will also be considerably affected by your foreign language skills, as mentioned above. This is illustrated by Pro Progressio’s data on BPO market in Bydgoszcz. An accountant with proficiency in English can expect ca. PLN 4,325 gross. Another employee in this position, but with proficiency in German, French, Spanish, Russian or Italian, can earn on average PLN 5,000 gross. Proficiency in Dutch or Swedish can up the ante to as many as PLN 6,000. The same is true for call centre consultants, software developers and other BPO professionals.
For over a decade, Polish BPO/SSC has undergone rapid development towards establishing itself as a worldwide leader. We can be proud of our specialists, experts and professionals, who can easily compete with their foreign counterparts. It must be underlined that, more than often, it is Polish personnel that is promoted up the global corporate structures to take up senior, or even top, management positions. In the majority of centres of operations, Poles successfully work along an international workforce, with globalisation in this area being at its finest, said Wiktor Doktór, President of Pro Progressio.
Illustrations © Pro Progressio Foundation /Best2Invest
Photo © Anna Karahan