This is one of the conclusions of the `Romania 100 de ani de business. Cum trecem de la idee la business. 100 de idei sa crestem’ (Romania 100 years of business. How to go from idea to business. 100 ideas for growth) conference in Constanta on Thursday, organized by ZF in partnership with Banca Transilvania and audit and advisory firm EY.
Whereas many entrepreneurs have already decided to become involved in the training of the people they need, those who have not are thinking of seeking funding to be able to open their own schools.
“Vocational schools did disappear, but each company and employer association must establish its own school. Otherwise no one will do anything,” said Nicolae Bucovala, the owner of the Steaua de Mare hotel complex in Eforie Nord resort, as well as of the Tomis Hotel in Mamaia and Cupidon Hotel in Venus.
“Do you know what we expect from the authorities? To leave us be. We can think better they do.”
Ziarul Financiar, Banca Transilvania and EY will use the “Romania 100 de ani de business” project to bring together the entrepreneurs in Romania and come up with joint ideals and solutions that can be a national platform for business.
The conference in Constanta is the second after Brasov in a series of events to be held in the biggest cities of the country. Constanta county is the tenth largest in the country by revenue of its companies, 42 billion lei (over EUR9 billion).
“We want the Constanta area to be known for more than just parties and seasonal tourism. We want to hear about development of the IT industry and agriculture of Constanta,” said Omer Tetik, Banca Transilvania CEO.
More than 150 entrepreneurs, executives, bankers and consultants discussed about the most important solutions for Romania’s sustainable development over the coming years so as to slowly catch up with the western countries.
Alex Milcev, partner and head of tax and law with EY Romania, is optimistic about Romania’s future economic growth and says entrepreneurship is playing an increasingly important role.
“About half of the revenue in the country comes from multinational companies and the rest from Romanian-owned ones. Entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important. It is also important to encourage it. This country has good prospects and is worth investing in.”
One of the most important ideas discussed during the conference in Constanta is the importance of the involvement of the authorities in the development of the business sector, the support for budding entrepreneurs from powerful business people in partnership with banks and the government, as well as a change in salary taxation.
“We are willing to pay EUR2,000 to EUR3,000 net salaries per month but requested the government a simple taxation system. The tax on a EUR1,000 salary should be EUR200 or 20%, the higher the salary, the lower the tax. This is how it should be so we could bring back the Romanians abroad,” Nicolae Bucovala says.
The main problem of the companies in the county and beyond remains the labor shortage. More than 27,000 companies operate in Constanta County and they had about 135,000 employees in 2016, according to Trade Registry data.
Construction and assembly company Petroconst, which works with oil industry customers mostly, has established its own welder school, despite the fact that many of those who get such training choose to leave the country.
“We hire young people up to 30 years of age, give them one year’s worth of training, invest in it, they stay one year and then leave abroad. These are acceptable risks. If we keep two welders out of ten we train, we are happy,” Petroconst’s chief financial officer Elena Stere said during the conference.
While Petroconst has already established its own school, Dobrogea Grup, one of the leading milling and bakery businesses in Romania, is thinking of seeking a backer for such a move.
“Labor shortage is one of the problems we are faced with. We invested in retooling, but you can’t do the job with the machine alone. The person using the machine must have the qualification for it,” said Fotini Teodorescu, chairperson of the board of the directors of Dobrogea Grup.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)