The study “IT@PL – the IT Labour Market in Poland” encompassed employees and employers of the IT sector. It focused on the education, qualifications and motivation of Polish IT professionals, as well as opportunities and threats to the development of the sector perceived by employers and investors.
IT Employees – Technology Knowledge
Results of the study prove that IT companies view Poland as an attractive place for investment due to the high level of competence among local professionals and managers. The availability of candidates who specialise in certain fields of expertise is an additional asset.
Mobility and Flexibility
69% of candidates declared readiness to devote a maximum of 1/3 of the total working time to work-related travel, 41% are ready to undertake shift work and 64% would relocate to a different country.. “Mobility is of crucial importance in the IT market – individuals who are ready to travel benefit more often from opportunities to take part in interesting, international projects. This raises their competence and, consequently, opens up new avenues in career development” – commented Natalia Wyrwińska, Senior Consultant, Antal IT Services.
Candidates are also more eager to take up more flexible modes of employment. 1/3 of IT professionals and managers are ready to undertake contract-based employment. “Contractors can choose to work from home, decide on convenient deadlines, and earn salaries which are higher by even 30%. IT specialists with unique skills increasingly often regard B2B cooperation as the only possibility; they are not interested in permanent employment” – emphasized Justyna Ostropolska, Sales Manager, Antal IT Services.
Managerial Qualifications
Polish IT managers usually come from a technical background, having taken a promotion route from engineer to manager. This gives them considerable experience in the sector, while their technical knowledge makes it easier to communicate instructions to engineers in a clear manner, as well as translate business needs into IT solutions. “It’s not easy to find suitable candidates for managerial positions in IT, even more so when we take into account that 58% of professionals prefer an expert, i.e. horizontal, rather than managerial, promotion route.” – remarked Łukasz Kośnik, Partner in Antal International and Director of Antal IT Services.
Poland Compared to Other Economies
Managers at multinational IT companies pointed out the following factors that differentiate Poland from other economies:
employment costs remain slightly lower, job candidates possess a high level of skills, dedication when working on projects and hobbies associated with the job profile (many of them consider IT their passion), Poland’s geographical location makes it easier to travel between offices located in other countries, Poland is located in a convenient time zone, cultural proximity.
“The attitudes concerning undertaking work in newly-established companies demonstrated by Polish IT professionals and managers contribute to creating a good environment for investment and recruitment. IT experts claim to be interested in working for newly-established companies. This is especially true in the case of Competence Centres (32%) and Polish branches of international companies (28%)” – commented Łukasz Kośnik, Partner in Antal International and Director of Antal IT Services.
“It seems that the Polish IT market is becoming a growing player on the global scene. This helps in attracting further foreign investment and stopping, or even reversing, the widespread brain drain that has been plaguing the Polish economy. The above factors are a testament to the stable growth of the sector and are solid proof that a career in IT is the way to go” – summarised Sławomir Majman, Chairman of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency
The study was conducted under patronage of the British Polish Chamber of Commerce
Source: BPCC
