SLOVAKIA is one of five potential sites being considered for a large investment project by US computer giant IBM; if it is chosen, as many as 3,000 Slovaks could get jobs as part of the project within the next three years, the Hospodárske Noviny financial daily wrote, citing an unnamed source described by the paper as ‘reliable’.
IBM already employs about 4,000 people in Slovakia and the new investment would be an extension of its current activities in the country. It would make IBM one of the biggest employers in Slovakia.
As part of its Remote Administration of Servers and Applications project IBM wants to offer services to US clients from a more remote workplace, the daily wrote.
According to analysts, Slovakia may be especially interesting from the point of view of costs.
“Slovak IT specialists still have lower wages than their colleagues in the West,” David Šplíchal, an analyst with Redbaenk, told the daily, adding that Slovakia’s membership of the eurozone could also play an important role.
The site for the new investment is being decided by IBM headquarters in New York. If Slovakia were to be chosen, Žilina, Košice or other regional locations would be considered for the new investment rather than Bratislava.
Slovakia’s Economy Ministry reportedly knows about IBM’s plans and regards state support for the project as being a possibility.
More information about the planned investment may be announced after representatives of the computer company meet Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová. A meeting was originally planned for August 24, but was postponed. A new date has not yet been set.
