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Investigation of HILL International confirms increase in qualified personnel –
better personnel choice offers companies their chance for qualitative growth

Vienna, 15th December 2008 – Qualified personnel are now again available in Central and Eastern Europe. In recent year the labour markets of Central and Eastern Europe were increasingly marked by a lack of qualified personnel, which majorly hampered the expansion of Western companies. However, now an increase in the number of offers is again being recorded. This is confirmed by an investigation by the personnel and management consultancy HILL International, which are specialized on the Central and Eastern European markets. New chances are now offered for companies which wish to make changes or plan to invest in new markets.

“While qualified personnel were difficult to find on the open market some months ago, the situation has now improved. We have established that in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Russia a significant increase in skilled workers as well as employees and applicants is being recorded”, explains Elisabeth Leyser, Managing Partner of HILL International, and further clarifies: “The increase in skilled personnel offers great chances for internationally operating companies, which despite of or even because of the present economic and financial crisis wish to change – because highly qualified, well educated and interculturally versed personnel are available”.

Reasons underlying the increase in skilled personnel

The reasons for the increase in skilled personnel in Central and Eastern European countries are clear, being due to the current international economic and financial crisis: on the one hand, due to the increasing staff cuts, well trained specialists and managers are returning home from abroad in the West. These possess language skills gained abroad and work practise in a modern Western work environment. In Poland for example the number of “home comers” from Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain and the USA is steadily increasing. Slovakia estimates that approximately 15,000 people will return from the West.

On the other hand on-site companies are letting go personnel with the necessary work experience. Thus in Poland the production sector for glass, chemicals and metal-using industries is affected, but also the construction industry, as well as the property and banking industry. In Russia at least eleven percent of Russian companies have reduced their staff in the last three months. 34 percent of the larger companies operating in Russia plan staff cuts in the next year, particularly in the production sector. The automotive industry and the banking sector are particularly affected here. In the Czech Republic layoffs are expected in the automobile, glass and textile industries.

Chance for qualitative growth

Because of this, highly qualified personnel who were in short supply some months ago are now available for companies who wish to use the chance to expand or to improve their employee situation.

In recent years, the skills shortage was often a limiting factor in the building and expansion of production capacities and the setting up of companies in Central and Eastern Europe. Now a much better situation presents itself. Elisabeth Leyser points out that this situation also offers chances for companies who are already operating on-site and who are not considering expanding their staff: “The already existing fluctuation and an active personnel management can be used for an optimization of the personnel stock. The deployed human capital is decisive in the success or failure of a company. Almost every company which in the past had to make compromises in employee quality should use the potential of the present situation in the labour market. It is precisely now that companies have the chance to differentiate themselves from their competitors”.

About HILL International

The personnel and management consultancy HILL International is the pioneer in the accompaniment of multinational companies to and in Central, Eastern and South-eastern Europe. With a comprehensive network of 40 offices in 23 countries, HILL International possesses country-specific know-how and local market knowledge. Over 250 experts advise companies in personnel requirements planning, search and selection of qualified employees and managers and offer interculturally oriented personnel development concepts on the basis of humanistic business psychology. The HILL Competence Analysis©, a psychological diagnosis procedure, precisely ascertains the individual potential of applicants – adjusted for the individual country and culture.
Further information at  www.hill-international.com and in the press section of HILL International.

Download the press release "Increase in Skilled Personnel in Central and Eastern Europe" as a pdf here.

Contact for queries:
 
HILL International GmbH
Elisabeth Leyser, Managing Partner

leyser@hill.co.at
Tel. +43 1 796 97 98-30

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