Business Services Join Forces to Promote Sector

Left to right: Zoltán Szabó, Farkas Bársony and Róbert Ésik at the press conference. Photo by Lázár Todoroff

The goal of the project is to make what is described on the HIPA website as “dynamically growing industry” even more popular and with increased recognition among Hungarian youngsters through joint communication and branding. The initiative was announced at a COVID-compliant press breakfast at the Marriott Hotel Budapest on September 9.

The business services sector has become one of the flagship industries of the Hungarian economy in recent decades. HIPA says there are now about 120 business service centers in the country, offering long-term and interesting career perspectives to more than 55,000 employees. Although every eighth Hungarian employee is engaged in the sector, market players feel its recognition still needs improvement.

Zoltán Szabó, general manager of BT and a board member of AmCham told the press briefing “A survey, conducted by our company, on what expectations Generation Z holds toward work has found that youngsters have a positive opinion of the business services sector; however, the majority of the respondents have little knowledge of the industry itself.”

That survey had in part been a catalyst for an initiative back in 2018, “to start a cooperative venture with our rivals in the industry, which in the past two years has grown into the largest-scope sector-based cooperation in Hungary, all started with a small working group,” he explained. 

Common Communication

The partners involved pursue a common communication activity for positioning the industry, and jointly take part in various university and career orientation events. In addition, relationships are built with educational institutions, student associations and teachers. The aim is to make sure that students, parents and teachers all have enough information to take account of the sector when choosing a career.

“The Hungarian business services sector is one of the most developed and most mature of its kind in the region,” said Róbert Ésik, CEO of HIPA at the press conference.

“Despite the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic, four significant investment decisions were made in the first half of 2020 for Hungary in favor of this industry, creating more than 1,100 new jobs in the coming period.”

Ésik said his organization welcomed AmCham’s BSS initiative. “It enhances the sector’s awareness and recognition, thus promoting talent retention and the attraction of new investments. In the framework of this professional cooperation between HIPA and AmCham BSS, a joint industrial survey has been launched, whose findings will be disclosed at our sector-based annual event, Business Services Hungary, on November 25,” he added.

“AmCham has been representing the business interests of various U.S.-based, international and domestic companies in Hungary for 30 years. Representation of interests is a key pillar of our activities, just like continuous dialogue with the government,” said AmCham president Farkas Bársony.

He added that 7.5% of the chamber’s members are drawn from the business services sector, which “further strengthens us in our conviction to give room to this special collaboration and work together with the government in making proposals for the business and regulatory environment of the sector.”

BSS Partner Firms

AGCO Hungary, Albemarle Hungary, ALDI International IT Services, Avis Budget Group, BlackRock, BP, BT, Celanese, Citi, Corning, CPL Integrated Services, Diageo, Docler Holding, Eaton Business Service Center, ExxonMobil, F.Hoffmann-La Roche, IBM ISSC, Lexmark, National Instruments, Randstad Hungary, Tata Consultancy Services, TESCO-BST, ThermoFisher Scientific and Unisys.