For Outsourcing, Bulgaria Is “In”

Bulgaria – with an education system ranking fifth in the world and students ranking 11th in mathematics – has the highest number of IT professionals per capita in the world. As a result, multinational firms look to Eastern Europe for relocation and labor. Other advantages of Eastern Europe include a developed infrastructure, economic and political stability as well as a central location to Africa, Asia, the US and the EU. Hewlett-Packard has announced plans to open a global delivery service center based in Sofia in 2007 with more than 1000 multilingual engineers and programmers. Outsourced jobs pay double the national average salary, or about $373 per month. Throughout the 1990s, the most educated Bulgarians – about 10 percent of the population – immigrated to other nations in search of careers. But education has since become the key strategy for countries in securing skilled jobs with high wages. With multinationals looking to hire in Eastern Europe, more opportunities undoubtedly will emerge close to home. – YaleGlobal