Last year, Poland strengthened its position in Europe and in the world as a place to invest in the modern business service sector. It was noticed by representatives of global corporations, trade organizations as well as international analytical groups. In 2011, the group Everest recognized Poland as the best offshore localization in Europe and one of 5 leading ones in the world. The Hackett Group identified Poland as one of the countries which are most often chosen by foreign investors for offshore projects, and Tholons awarded Kraków the 11th place of the most attractive outsourcing agglomerations in the world.
In the branch of modern business services, over 85 thousand specialist work in the country, which is 50% more than in 2009, and the number of workplaces in this branch in Kraków will have exceeded 100 thousand by the end of the current year. Poland has noted the significant growth in this area and, what is worth emphasizing, more and more advanced operations and processes are being transferred to our country, says Jacek Leverness, President of ABSL, Member of Executive Management Board HP Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Vice-President of Global Business Services EMEA.
The service sector is the most popular among the project led by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ). 30 out of 149 investors attended by the Agency operates in the area of BPO. They can generate over 7,7 thousand of workplaces, adds Sławomir Majman, President of PAIiIZ.
The modern business service sector plays a significant role in the development of the real estate market in Poland, especially outside Warsaw. Jones Lang LaSalle estimates that the ousourcing branch occupies 800 thousand sq.m. in Poland altogether; the most in the modern resources in Kraków and Łódż (40%), followed by Wrocław, Katowice, Tricity and Poznań.
The office real estate market in Poland is more and more adjusted to the functional, technical and location requirements of the modern business service sector. The base of the potentially attractive locations for the sector is extending to smaller cities. At present, as many as 1 mln sq.m. of modern cities are being built; most of them in the capital. Other cities which are distinguished in this respect include Wrocław and Tricity. Slight increasing pressures on the renting rates in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków and Poznań are being observed, comments Anna Kot, Head of Office Agency and Tenant Representation, Jones Lang LaSalle.