“Romania has a great opportunity for growth in the business services sector but it depends on how much government and companies invest in universities,” said Florin Grama, chairman of Romania’s Association of Business Service Leaders (ASBL).
“There is a significant shortage of skills in this industry, companies are poaching people from competitors and still there are thousands of positions open in the IT area.”
Top services investment destinations are Asian countries – India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines, along with Brazil, the A.T. Kearney survey reveals. Only Poland (10th) and Bulgaria (12th, down four places) are better positioned than Romania in Europe in 2016.
ABSL estimates show that business service industry is currently employing about 80,000 people, but there is potential for growth to 150,000 employees in three or four years.
“We will reach 1,000 employees in Romania this year and intend to grow to 3,000 in the next three years,” said Yann Bidan, country director for Romania of Telus International, a Canadian outsourcing service provider.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)