AmCham Slovakia

For Slovakia, competitiveness has become a defining question: how to sustain growth, attract investment, and strengthen resilience in an increasingly complex global economy. This issue of Connection entitled „People Power“ explores that question through the lens of people - skills, talent, adaptability, and leadership – recognizing that human capital remains one of the country’s most decisive competitive advantages.

Many of the topics discussed in this issue will form a part of our “People Pillar” initiatives during the upcoming season – including the gender pay gap agenda, platform work, talent development and retention strategies, adoption of AI (not only) in employment, or longevity economy. AmCham has been a safe harbor for business centers, shared services and BPOs for some time. They have been experiencing steady growth for almost three decades, finding flexible and cost-effective labor force combined with stable and predictable business environment at the dawn of the new millennium. Not building its future on the governmental support, the sector has developed into one of the cornerstones of the national economy and competitiveness of Slovakia, currently employing over 35,000 professionals and contributing more than 3% of the Slovak state budget income. Over the last 2-3 years, the indigenous growth has slowed down as some of the key industry players have been optimizing their operations due to the global dynamic changes.

Now, we are witnessing the continuous downsize of the headcount - though companies remain resilient and determined to increase the maturity of roles in Slovakia as people employed by the business centers are getting unique conditions and career opportunities. The role of the business services industry has already expanded well beyond traditional set-up - they are becoming embedded in the core transformation of business models. Technological advancements combined with geopolitical disruptions and competitiveness of Europe (including Slovakia) are proof testing the sector´s resilience. The world is a global place and business services have evolved into an effective tool to boost competitiveness of a country. Slovakia in no exception to that.

The year ahead will be about turning continuity into strength. By linking long-term priorities with concrete initiatives, AmCham aims to show how competitiveness is built in practice - through people, skills, innovation, and an environment that rewards effort and investment. As the discussions in this issue illustrate, competitiveness is shaped every day across companies, sectors, and institutions. Our role is to connect these contributions, give them structure, and ensure they translate into tangible progress for Slovakia.
 

Peter Rusiňák, Deputy Director – Policy & Advocacy, AmCham Slovakia