Executive Summary: IT&BPO Potential in Plovdiv

Plovdiv is the second most important city in Bulgaria, according to its demographics. The city attracts workforce from a region that is populated by about 1.3 million people living in the city itself or in commutable distance. A highly developed educational system of nation-wide renowned high schools and universities serves as a good sourcing pool for the IT&BPO industry. Moreover, the education system is getting more adaptive and open to cooperation with business, introducing joint courses, internships and industry- oriented programs. The fairly recent process of emerging favorable ecosystem for IT&BPO has been recognized by the local authorities as a major development path for the city.

Great possibilities for staff sourcing 

The high demand for highly qualified labor in the outsourcing sector sets the base for tight collaboration between educational institutions and outsourcing companies. High schools in Plovdiv have traditions in offering a high-quality education. Among the best schools operating in the city are: Mathematics High School, Foreign Languages High School (with emphasis on English and German), French Language High School, National High School of Commerce. Most employees in companies requiring high-level language skills or highly developed analytical and mathematical skills have graduated in one of the above high schools. Plovdiv University and Technical University of Sofia (Plovdiv branch) both have traditions in the preparation of good mathematicians and programmers. The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv is a source of professionals working with images and design. As a general practice, companies select their staff in early stages of higher education.

Advantages compared to Sofia and other big cities

Compared to the capital, as in other outsourcing destination countries, the second biggest city offers a number of advantages. Most importantly, Sofia concentrates most of the higher-end jobs in the state administration, finance, and B2B services, which is a factor for a tight competition in the labor demand. In contrast, Plovdiv labor market is not characterized by such strong competition for talents, as well as for the middle- skillset employees. Moreover, Plovdiv seems to be appraised as a city of higher quality of life than Sofia (due to less traffic and urban stress, possibilities to reach work place by bicycle, good public transportation, etc.). Employees in Plovdiv enjoy the city and its opportunities for wellbeing, sports, culture and arts. Those are factors – together with the famous “local patriotism” – for a much more loyal employees. Compared to the big cities on the sea coast, employers in Plovdiv in the mid-skillset segment face no fierce competition for employees from the tourism industry. Last but not least, Plovdiv is just a bit more than an hour drive from the Sofia International Airport.

Emerging IT&BPO ecosystem

IT&BPO is still an “emerging” industry in Plovdiv. The potential of the city has become to materialize since fairly recently. Dynamics in those industry in the past few years went hand in hand with the birth of the first co-working hubs, business clusters and specialized events. The municipality of Plovdiv has recognized its role as a first stop for new investors, providing valuable assistance especially in the relations with universities. Currently, one of the key priorities for the city is development and promotion of an IT&BPO business-friendly ecosystem.

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