The Polish economy has reached a level of development on which it is gradually switching to more technologically advanced production. Qualifications required from newly hired personnel are higher and higher. These processes find direct reflection in the profile of foreign direct investment flowing into Poland. That is why the interest of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency is focused on investors keen to launch the production of highly processed goods. We are satisfied to note the gradual increase in the number of projects in sectors such as business process outsourcing, electronics and aviation. We are open for discussion on fresh investment in the automotive industry. The Polish industry needs new technologies. That’s why investments in these sectors are in such demand.
Graduates of Polish universities, top managers and young Polish scientists are welcomed with open arms in West European countries and in the United States. They are perceived as excellently prepared, creative and disciplined workers. The challenge for Poland is to keep as many of them as possible at home. Jobs need to be created for them, especially in research and development centres. That is why we note with satisfaction that in the past few years a dozen foreign concerns have opened R&D centres in Poland. There are more than forty of them now. We are counting on others to follow suit.
We are very happy with investment decisions like IBM’s and Intel’s recent moves. IBM Lab in Kraków employs a team of 200 Polish IT specialists working on the latest in software technologies. In Gdańsk Intel is using the skills of 300 Polish IT development specialists. It is one of several such centres Intel has founded on different continents.
It is worth noting that in the past few years Poland has become Europe’s number one manufacturer of LCDs. Nearly all key players, including Korea’s LG, Japan’s Toshiba, Sharp and Funai, as well as China’s TPV produce LCD monitors in this country.
It is interesting to compare the structure of foreign direct investment in Poland in 2000, 2003
and 2007. In 2000 just 28% cent of investment projects handled by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency came from technologically advanced sectors. In 2003 the figure was up to 54%, as the first aviation industry projects joined the list. Last year as much as
63% of FDIs was accounted for by high-tech. As much as 19% of that was related to Business Process Offshoring. It is a trend that promises to be a lasting one. In a few years’ time it’s likely that we’ll have an FDI structure in
the business sectors similar to the level of Western
Europe.
While there are plenty of reasons to be satisfied with the successes attained so far, the fact remains that the global technological race is on. If Poland is to be among the frontrunners it must significantly increase R&D spending. The change of the FDI structure clearly stems from the present system of supporting high-tech investments. One of the priorities of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency is concern for the balanced development of the country’s individual regions. To improve the chance of increasing the flow of FDIs into eastern and northern provinces, which have been shunned by foreign companies, we have drafted a programme for the economic promotion of eastern Poland for the 2008-2013 period. We are expecting the first tangible results around 2010-11.