Central and Eastern European recruitment blog

New blog

From this day forward, I will be putting all new posts on my new blog .

As well as continuing to post on Central and Eastern European recruitment I will be focusing on topics I am interested in, such as how to develop passive income to lead a flexible and free lifestyle, as well as connected topics like making money online and real estate investment.

Please check out the new design and all new categories, and subscribe at www.globalmicrobrand.net

Eastern Europe faces generation crisis - International Herald Tribune

Link: Eastern Europe faces generation crisis - International Herald Tribune.

More expats to Russia?

Link: OVERSEAS RECRUITMENT - The Recruiter.

Buckski Palace

Link: Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Buckski Palace.

We make the Bootstrapper Top 100 HR Bloggers list

Link: Bootstrapper » Top 100 HR Bloggers.

Sourcing labour from Eastern Europe - 08/03/2005

Link: Sourcing labour from Eastern Europe - 08/03/2005.

Online Recruitment on the Rise in Eastern Europe

Link: Online Recruitment on the Rise in Eastern Europe.

Interesting PR peiece by jobs.cz I have never seen a job site have the dominance in one country that jobs.cz has in the Czech Republic. Hopefully jobpilot will gain some share to force jobs.cz to drop it's prices soon.

Shortage of professional & labor skills being felt in Eastern Europe

Link: Shortage of professional & labor skills being felt in Eastern Europe.

Changes to this blog / New authors required!

After a pretty quiet couple of months for postings to this blog I thought I would do a post on the background to this blog and where I would like it to go. As a recruiter based in Czech republic but active across central and Eastern Europe I started this blog to submit my thoughts on recruiting in the region and interesting articles I came across. I also thought it would be a good forum to publicise news and announcements about my company and to be honest the purpose of the blog became confused; was it a company blog or a blog about recruiting in the region? This factor together with the lack of time I was able to devote to it meant that I wanted to step back and take a look at where I would like it to go, which I had a chance to do this weekend in between mountain biking in the Austrian alps.

The short answer is I have stripped out all the company announcements etc. and taken it back to purely a blog about recruitment news/trends/gossip/whatever in Central and Eastern Europe, a subject of huge interest to me. To do this I would rather expand the scope of the blog and increase the number of authors so others with recruitment/executive search expertise in the region can contribute.

So basically would you like to submit some aricles to this blog? Id love to hear from anyone working as a recruiter or in HR anywhere in Central and Eastern Europe who would like to submit articles or links to this blog. All you will need to do is email me and I will set you up as an author and from there you can easily log on and post articles whenever you have something to say. Id especially love to hear from recruiters in Russia / CIS countries as I have tended to focus more on the Central European countries. Of course anyone working for competitors in Poland and the Czech Republic is welcome as well. Id like to keep the language of the blog to English but if you spot interesing articles in Polish/Rusian whatever please feel free ot submit them. If you want to post you can use this as a forum to publicise yourself/your company or remain anonymous depending on your preference.

For those who dont want to submit articles please feel free to leave comments to article as I'd like to stimulate more dicsussion between other recruiters in the region. I have also set up a new URL for the blog at www.ceerecruit.info

Cheers and hope to hear from some of you Dan

Dave Mendoza blogs on Prague and the Czech Republic

Dave Mendoza from the sixdegreesfromdave.com blog was over in Prague recently and I exchanged a couple of emails but wasn't able to meet up in the end. Here are links to his posts on the trip. Its always interesting to see the perspective of people visiting as living here you tend to take it all for granted.

http://sixdegreesfromdave.com/2007/04/16/prague-adventure-part-1-a-linkedin-connection-points-the-way/

http://sixdegreesfromdave.com/2007/04/16/prague-sights-sounds-st-charles-bridge-the-core-of-pragues-vibrant-cultural-life/

http://sixdegreesfromdave.com/2007/04/26/prague-tales-part-3-the-haunted-ghost-tour-in-old-square-the-clock/ 

http://sixdegreesfromdave.com/2007/05/07/prague-tales-part-4-macabre-in-kutna-hora-a-little-boy-running-thur-alleys-in-cesky-krumlov/

http://sixdegreesfromdave.com/2007/06/04/international-staffing-perspectives-brian-janecek-brno-czech-republic/

Baltic Labour shortages

Anyone who has visited Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania recently knows about the booming economies of the three Baltic states. The labour shortage is obvious but in these former Soviet countries this takes on a whole political dimension due to the large scale migration and Russification in Soviet Times.

Discussion in the Baltic times here

Possible doctor shortfall in Czech Republic

Article in the Prague Post about one of the many areas impacted by the new Czech labour code
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2006/12/20/code-blue.php

Polish - British migration

One of the better articles on the future for Polish - British and returning British - Polish migration.

Appeals to Polish patriotism (like those made by the city of Wroclaw and the Polish prime minister) are unlikely to encourage many to return to their homeland. Poles are pragmatic and suspicious of government statements . The one and only thing that will encourage to return are well paid jobs. The jobs are coming, most noticeably in Warsaw, but not fast enough to stem the tide through 2007.

http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2006/11/21/38260/poles-apart-how-is-poland-tackling-mass-migration.html

The Romanians are coming...

http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006110612.html

So the Czech Republic is opening it's doors to the new EU arrivals; Bulgaria and Romania. The Czech media is split on whether this is good or bad, but from a Czech recruitment point of view we welcome it. The labour market is tight here and the Czech economy will benefit from an influx of keen and qualified immigrants, the same way as the UK economy benefited after it opened its labour markets to the new entrants in 2004.

Events at Skoda and the Czech Recruitment Enviroment

http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006111329.html

A well balanced article from Cristina Muntean (once again). It brings up a couple of interesting points; firstly about the general dire state of the recruitment environment in the Czech Republic, and secondly about the increasing number of Poles coming to work in the Czech Republic, where they are now the third largest minority after Ukrainians and Vietnamese (nobody really counts the Slovaks as foreign).

A lot of the recruitment activity in the Czech Republic is murky to say the least and the least events at Skoda are only the tip of the iceberg in my opinion.

There is a recruitment industry association in the Czech Republic (the APPS) which campaigns for a better recruitment environment, and requires all its members to sign a code of conduct. It is quite telling though that out of 1,500 agencies in the Czech Republic, only 10 of us are members!

On a personal note I was very pleased to see the comment at the end from Jitka Dobrakova from Manpower where she urges companies to use an agency with ISO 9001:2000 certification and is a member of the Czech recruitment Association (the APPS). As far as I can make out the only agency who this applies to is my company Dunross Recruitment, so hopefully all employers will be following Jitka's advice :)

Czech Republic...Headhunters paradise?

Wll the CBW thinks so. Two interesting stories from Cristina Muntean. It is always difficult to estimate how many headhunters are operating in the region as many will cover a business sector across multiple countries from one office.

Personally I think we will see a peak this year in Czech Republic and Slovakia and then a decline as headhunters focus their interest on Romania, the big new EU entry in 2007!

http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006082125.html
http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006091104.html

Czech turnover rates high - PwC Survey

Well it's been a week or so without any news ragging on the Czech labour force so it was about time for a survey from PwC showing that around 16 per cent of Czechs leave their jobs annually compared to 9 percent Europe-wide.

The article is reviewed here in the Post:

http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2006/Art/0824/busi4.php

I agree broadly with Katya Zapletnyuk's excellent analysis and would like to add a couple of points.

Firstly this figure needs to be looked at in the context of all the new emerging economies of Central Europe where turnover rates are high across the board, due to the rapid speed the economies are changing as new companies move in and older ones are taken over or go under.

Secondly the important point that you can't see in the figures is that if you do have one of the 84 per cent who apparently will stay with you the quality can be very high, extremely so if you look at recent University graduates where foreign language skills and commercial awareness are excellent.

Dan Taylor | Dunross | T: +420 222 723 664 | F: +420 222 726 747 | M: +420 603 147 177 | E: dantaylor@dunross.co.uk| Skype Name: dan-dunross | A: Sudomerska 32, 130 00 Prague, Czech Republic

ISO 9001:2000 Registered

Member of Association of Personnel Services Providers

Senior managers earn more in Slovakia than Sweden

.......if you take the cost of living into account according to a survey from Hay group , a human-resources firm. The calculations include the cost of rent, which is punishingly high in some financial centres. Sweden's heavy taxes leave top managers in Stockholm worse off, in real terms, than their peers in Shanghai or Budapest.

From a central European perspective both Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland rank above the UK in 'real pay' rankings for senior managers!

Will Bulgarians and Romanians get the right to work in the UK and other EU countries?

A question we're often asked is what is going to happen in 2007, when if all goes to plan Bulgaria and Romania are scheduled (but still not confirmed) to join the European Union? Will the countries who have accepted workers from the original 10 accession countries (Britain, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Greece and now Italy) accept these workers?

Most countries are staying silent on the issue at present just as they did before the original EU enlargement in May 2004, but the first rumblings of a debate are starting as this article on workpermit.com shows.

Our opinion: In the current climate Britain and other countries will not admit Bulgarians and Romanian workers and will invoke a veto for several years, similar to the 7 year veto used by Germany France and others on the first accession countries.

http://www.workpermit.com/2006_08_08/uk/open-door_policy_debate.htm

Dan Taylor | Dunross | T: +420 222 723 664 | F: +420 222 726 747 | M: +420 603 147 177 | E: dantaylor@dunross.co.uk| Skype Name: dan-dunross | A: Sudomerska 32, 130 00 Prague, Czech Republic

ISO 9001:2000 Registered

Member of Association of Personnel Services Providers

Record number of foreigners from EU states working in Czech Republic

Everyone discusses the large scale movement of workers from the EU accession countries to Western Europe but an interesting trend is the record number of foreigners from the old EU states coming to work in the accession countries, in particular from Germany. Grafton's MIlan Novak offers his take on this trend.

Like Grafton, Dunross recruit a large number of English and German speakers for positions in Prague so it's a trend we welcome!

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/81519

Czech absenteeism, turnover far above EU norm

Anyone who runs a business in the Czech Republic is familiar with the high number of sick days. The Czech Business Weekly discusses a survey carried out by PWC which concludes the average number of sick days a year in the Czech Republic is 11 compared to an EU average of 5!

http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006080709.html

Interesting article on skills shortages in Czech Republic

An interesting article in the Czech Business Weekly which discusses the shortage of skilled Czech workers in the IT, automotive and finance sectors. This co-relates broadly with the trends we have witnessed at Dunross.

http://www.cbw.cz/phprs/2006052919.html

A third of Eastern Europe's migrant workers are UK managers

One third of migrant workers from Eastern Europe are taking up office managerial posts in the UK, a report has revealed.

The research, by accountancy firm Ernst & Young Item Club, disproves the stereotypical image of Polish workers becoming builders and cleaners.

"The stereotype of the Polish plumber is well wide of the mark," the report said.

REC Welcomes Recognition For Polish Workers 25/04/2006 10:27:00

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the body that represents the UK recruitment industry welcomes Ernst and Young’s recent report which recognises the important contribution that migrant workers make to the UK economy. However, it warns that more needs to be done to ensure migrants are not being exploited. The current UK skills crisis has put considerable pressure on employers and recruiters looking to source skilled workers.

EU common driving licence set to replace 80 others

- We are always pleased when the EU implements a standard which makes life easier for everyone concerned..

Workers from new EU states had ‘broadly positive’ impact

By Andrew Taylor, Employment Correspondent
Published: February 28 2006 17:46 | Last updated: February 28 2006 17:46

FT.com

Migrant workers from eastern and central Europe have not taken jobs from unemployed Britons, according to a government study.

UK economy boosted by influx of workers from eastern Europe

'The influx of workers from central and eastern Europe has boosted Britain's economy, relieved skilled shortages and cut dole queues, the European Commission says.'

The Independent Online
By Nigel Morris and Stephen Castle in Brussels

      Published: 09 February 2006

Time to tear down the EU's eastern barriers

Financial Times - London,England,UK
If you have to take medicine, it is best to take it sooner rather than later - delay will make it no easier. If the medicine is guaranteed to improve your health, delay is positively stupid. The 12 European Union countries that have delayed giving workers from the east free access to their labour markets should therefore study carefully a new report which shows that letting them in would improve their economic health.

Immigrants 'can fill Highlands skills shortage'

A link to an article by John Ross from the Scotsman regarding the skills shortage in the Highalnds and Islands of Scotland and how positions are being filled by workers from the new EU countries.

Scotsman article

Economist Article on migration from Czech Republic and Poland

A very positive artice from this weeks Economist about the benefits of workers from the new EU Accession countries coming to the UK.Download article_1.pdf Download article_2.pdf

Business Week Article

The December Issue of Busienss Week had a fascinating article on knowledge workers in Central Europe including some good comparison tables of wage rates across the region and economic statistics for all the countries. The entire article is available below.  

East meets WestCountry

Dunross was recently featured in a UK television documentary about it's co-operation with TaxiFast, the leading private hire company in the West of England. The program visits the Dunross training centre in Prague and follows the drivers in the UK.

Download EAST_MEETS_WEST.mp3

Europe v Asia

Older generations complaining about the youth of today and the superior standards of the yesteryear are a familiar quirk that most of us attribute to aged cynicism. Unfortunately for Britain the older eneration may well be proved right.

Gordon's gone to China, so let's hope he wakes up and smells the green tea
By Niall Ferguson
(Filed: 16/10/2005)

European Union finance ministers went to China last week. Let's hope the trip shatters the complacency that seems to pervade European capitals these days. "Wake up and smell the coffee," is what Americans like to say when they encounter complacency. But it's the Chinese green tea the Europeans need to wake up and smell.

Declining Population in Scotland

With the recent immigration surge, the UK's population has just pushed the 60m mark. However, it appears that for Scotland this will deliver only short term relief from serious population decline.

Declining population held off, for now

SCOTLAND'S population will not fall below the five million mark until 2036, according to new figures which reveal a large increase in immigration from eastern Europe.

Just two years ago the Registrar-General had predicted the country's population would fall below five million in 2009, but a recent influx of 26,000 migrants from the new EU accession states has led to a turnaround.

 

With a further 4,000 immigrants predicted to arrive in Scotland each year, it is now expected the population will rise steadily for the next 15 years.

But Duncan Macniven, the Registrar-General, warned that the revival was only temporary.

HAMISH MACDONELL
SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR

FT Article

Migrants add flair to Irish economy
By John Murray Brown
Published: October 20 2005 03:00 | Last updated: October 20 2005 03:00

It is no coincidence thatstaff at the Bank of Irelandon Dublin's O'Connell Street speak Polish, Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Seamus Maher, the branch manager, estimates migrant workers account for more than 70 per cent of the accounts opened in the last 12 months.

Swiss vote overwhelmingly yes to extend EU labour accord.

The Swiss press have applauded the recent vote in favour of extending EU labour accord, proclaiming that pragmatism has won over fear. Indicating an agreement forged between a more euro-sceptic French Swizerland with the less so German Swizerland, confidence in the future of the EU has grown nationaly and abroad.

Of course this result doesnt mean that the EU debate is coming to an end, but progress should be made toward organising a referendum on the expansion of the EU to Romania and Bulgaria.

Top 10 tips when selecting a recruitment agency to find staff from the new EU Countries.

By Dan Taylor, Dunross Czech Republic. Information for businesses in the UK looking to recruit from the new EU countries such as Poland and Czech Republic.

Download top_ten_tips_for_recruiting_from_eastern_europe.mp3

Interview-Alec Page

Alec is a leading Recruitment and Human Resources consultant with particular expertise in the new EU Countries. We caught up with him on his visit to Prague to get his thoughts on recruiting from the new EU countries to the UK.

Download alec_page_interview.mp3

EU Migration

Migrant workers boost EU nations in wake of enlargement

A report on the trends in migration of New EU nationals to 'Old EU' member states, and the positive effects are outlined in this Financial Times article.

By Sarah Laitner in Brussels
Published: September 7 2005 03:00

Download ft_com_world_europe_migrant_workers_boost_eu_nations_in_wake_of_enlargement.htm

Top 10 tips when selecting a recruitment agency to find staff from the EU Accession Countries

By Daniel Taylor, Dunross Czech Republic

So you are a British or Irish company and you have heard about the opportunities of recruiting labour from the new EU Accession Countries in Central Europe. So what should you look for when looking for a recruitment agency to recruit staff for you?

We at Dunross have been out here in Central Europe a long time and know a lot about the business and recruitment environment across the EU Accession countries. So whoever you select here are our golden rules for selecting a recruitment agency.

Financial Times article about bus driver recruitment to the UK from Poland

Polish drivers just the ticket for bus operator
By Friederike Tiesenhausen Cave
Financial Times; Nov 11, 2004
Recruiting reliable bus drivers is a widely known headache across the transport industry. Operators are all too often forced to cut services after drivers quit at short notice, forcing companies to recruit and train replacements.

First Bus, part of the First transport group, has found an ingenious solution. Since May, the company has been employing 56 trained drivers and engineers from Poland in Bath and Bristol, who have helped plug shortages and improve performance.

"We have been so pleased with this pilot, we are thinking of rolling it out on a wider scale," said Stuart Bugg of First, which employs about 20,000 bus drivers across the UK.