The Czech Republic is only twice as large as Slovakia when it comes to population, but the sector of shared service and business service centres is three times larger. This indicates that the potential of Slovakia has not been fully used. Increased engagement not only of the government but also municipalities and self-governing regions will certainly help advance Slovakia’s competitiveness and attractiveness in this industry, says Peter Rusiňák, coordinator of the Business Service Center Forum industry association running under AmCham.
He perceives the shared service and business service centres as indicators of the potential of the country. “Shared services are really a great example of how the national economy could really turn into something modern and fresh, dynamic and innovation driven.”
Why did the BSCF first emerge?
The forum was created based on the demand of respective companies. Approximately 10-12 mostly American companies approached us in 2014. They needed an organisation to communicate their issues and interests, like the automotive, electrotechnical and construction sectors. Since all those companies were members of AmCham, it made sense to join forces with the chamber.
What share of the sector do you represent?
Quite a large share, above 92 percent of the headcount in the sector. There are approximately 65 business centres in Slovakia, employing roughly 39,000 to 40,000 people. Of these, 35 companies employing approximately 36,000 people in total, including all the big players on the market, are members of BSCF.
What problems do BSCs address to AmCham the most?
Our mission is to raise awareness of the sector in Slovakia and help further its growth. We provide three main types of services for companies. We share information from the sector about best practices and solutions for problems companies might have, functioning as a network. Then there’s our interaction with universities and secondary schools to improve the employability of graduates. Last is our branch of policy and advocacy, through which we communicate with local authorities, public offices, and governmental bodies about legislation and the happenings in the public sector as well as streamline our CSR activities.