Businesses set their sights on Tri-City. What is it that attracts new investors to Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot?

- Tri-City draws in more and more investors who have not done business in Poland before as well as companies that are already present in the country and want to open a secondary headquarters or a new branch in the region. The proactive approach of public administration bodies, good transport infrastructure and an overall positive image of the region, both in the country and beyond its borders, have contributed to Tri-City becoming a prime destination for SSC/BPO and IT companies as well as the recovering shipbuilding industry. Increasingly advanced processes are being moved to Tri-City to take advantage of its well-educated workforce, leading to the creation of new jobs which, in turn, attract professionals and managers from all over Poland – says Daria Stefańska, Manager, Antal SSC/BPO.

Respondents taking part in the "Tri-City's Investment Potential" survey (part of the "Business Environment Assessment Study") were asked to rate the main factors making up Tri-City's business environment. By combining several indices for each of the areas included in the survey, the report presents a complete rating on a 0-10 scale, where 0 is the lowest possible rating and 10 is the highest possible rating. Tri-City's average score of all indices combined is 7.4 out of 10.

Is Tri-City the best place to live for future professionals and managers?

Respondents said that Tri-City's main advantage is its excellent standard of living. It received the highest score out of all categories – 8.1 points out of 10. The quality of life category consists of six distinct indices, with natural environment (8.7 points), safety (8.2 points) and shopping facilities (8.2 points) earning the highest scores.

CBRE's Piotr Pikiewicz claims that respondents are more than right about Tri-City. - Countless cultural events, academic and commercial opportunities and, above all, proximity to the sea are definite advantages that draw in not only new residents, but also international investors to the city. Moreover, Tri-City is the biggest urban centre in northern Poland, with almost 750 inhabitants, making it the undisputed regional leader – points out Piotr Pikiewicz, Senior Research & Consultancy Consultant, CBRE.

Decision-makers are also confident that in the future there will be no shortage of qualified employees in Tri-City. Education opportunities, understood as the supply of future employees, was the second-highest rated category (7.9 points). Two indices, i.e. higher education institutions (8.1 points) and vocational and middle schools (7.8), received particularly high scores. It is worth noting that there are 23 higher education institutions with almost 90 thousand students in the Pomerania province (source: Central Statistical Office of Poland).

Take the plane, train or ... bike

Tri-City's third-highest rated category was its highly developed transport network. It received a score of 7.4 points. Air transport placed first with a score of 8.4 points, followed by rail and bicycle infrastructure (8.3 points each). This comes as no surprise as Tri-City has access to the Poland's third-largest airport, handling flights to countless destinations, and a very well-developed railroad network complete with Pendolino high-speed trains. Moreover, Tri-City has direct access to Poland's biggest seaport which sets it apart from the country's other big cities.

Tri-City's offices received a similiar, albeit slightly lower, score (7.4 points). The city boasts one of the best office markets in Poland. With almost 700,000 square metres of modern office space available, it ranks third in the country. Respondents especially appreciated the accessibility and quality of Tri-citys offices (8.3 and 8.2 points respectively). Commute Times also earned high scores (7.1 points).

In Tri-City workers are plentiful ... and the competition is fierce

When choosing a suitable destination for new investments, the supply of qualified employees is the first factor to consider.  Tri-City received a score of 6.9 points in this category. Respondents claim that administration and HR employees are the easiest to recruit (7.3 points), but it is much more challenging to find the right middle- and senior-level candidates with IT and foreign language skills (6.5 points each).

- Similar to the country's other regions, Tri-City's IT sector is definitely a candidate's market. At the moment, Tri-City's market has many IT professionals with diverse experience and skills. However, the demand for them is growing leading to a shortage of suitable candidates. That is partly due to numerous foreign investments. Many IT Outsourcing Centres are being opened, leading to growing demand for professionals who migrate to Tri-City from Poland and beyond ­­– says Magdalena Orlińska, Consultant, Antal IT Services.

The business potential of the city is growing as young graduates with foreign language skills enter the job market. – More and more interesting job opportunities are popping up, especially at business services centres. This means that few graduates leave Tri-City and, what is more, people from outside the region are tempted to move here. Preparing good job offers is key for drawing in such candidates ­– comments Ilona Wróbel, Team Leader, Antal SSC/BPO.

Apart from the availability of qualified employees, prospective employers need to consider how to strong the competition is in the region. Therefore, respondents were asked to rate the competition in the local market (onscale of 1 to 10, where 0 means that there is no competition, and 10 means that all competitors are active in the local market). Tri-City received a score of6.8 points in this category.

Antal's Miłosz Floriański points out that Tri-City's average score was 7.4, once again proving that it is a special place for doing business and investing. – We must not forget that Pomerania has centuries-long traditions of trade and business. This attracts individuals who are confident of their skills and wish to grow in a city that is open to new business solutions. It should come as no surprise that citizens of Gdańsk and Gdynia feel a deep connection with Pomerania and are very satisfied with the quality of life in Tri-City – says Miłosz Floriański, Consultant, Antal Engineering & Operations.