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Victoria Mindova

People for Business is one of the three companies that is competing for the Stelios Haji-Ioannou Award for Entrepreneurship in the small- and medium-sized businesses. It is a fast growing company, sourcing and developing human resources, which has been quickly recognized on the Greek market as an effective mediator in the recruitment of skilled staff. The prize is € 50,000 and in the last four years, it has been awarded to a dynamic and promising company to expand its operations.

GRReporter has contacted the Executive Manager of the company, Rebekka Petsika, who has shared her views on the changes in the labour market in Greece during the crisis and analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the Greek workforce.

What differentiates you from other companies in the HR-industry for People for Business to be nominated for the Stelios Haji-Ioannou Award for Entrepreneurship?

The company specializes in providing customized and exclusive services in finding medium and high level professionals. We work with our customers on a peer level. At present, we are the only company on the local market to give an access code to our customers to monitor the process of our work online. Thus, we seek to increase mutual trust. We attach great importance to the "after sale services" or how the position we have served is developing. This process can take up to 18 months after the appointment. We carry out consecutive written examinations to assess the level of work. They are performed both by employers and by the employee to get an objective idea of ​​the working environment. These are the main differences that distinguish us from other companies for recruitment of human resources in the Greek market.

How long have you been operating in the field of human resource recruitment and how do you think the employment profile of the Greeks has changed in the last decade?

The company was founded in March 2007, and I personally have 20 years experience in the market. I can say that the profile of the Greek workforce has changed over the past decades and continues to change constantly. In the past two years, however, It has been noticed that people have become more flexible in their requirements and negotiations for the position and the payment. This is the effect of the economic crisis in Greece. Another change that has been observed mainly in the last year is the willingness of specialists to seek business opportunities abroad.

In 2010, we studied the ability and willingness of the workforce to change their residence in order to find a better job. 60% of the respondents answered that they would prefer to be unemployed for a year rather than to move from their area. This trend has now changed dramatically. Now, people are seeking fulfilment outside Greece to have a job and work in their specialty more easily.

So, you have found that old habits are already eliminated.

Yes, we have. The two main features of the old behaviour have faded. Now, people are more flexible in their requirements and negotiate the working conditions. more easily.

What specialties find the easiest realization on the labour market in Greece today?

Almost all specialties related to the development of new technologies and Web services. This is a logical development, because companies want to develop similar services in order to reduce operating costs. Other occupations in demand are those in the economic sector, because in difficult times, companies need strong managers to optimize the operation and the demand and competition is intense. There is demand in business-to-business sales too. It is about corporate sales, not retail and shopping.

In which sectors could we say that the Greeks are traditionally strong as specialists?

We have good specialists in all sectors, but I cannot say that we have particular specialization of human resources in a particular sector as a country. Overall, the Greek labour force adjusts much easier now. When the people are able to choose what they want to do, they do it well. People not always do what they like to do.

What I can tell you is in which Greek sectors there is a lack of really high level specialists. It would be much better if it could be said that Greece has a very high specialization in the field of tourism. However, this is not the case.

Do you think that if a country has high profile and highly trained specialists in a particular sector, rather than many mid-level professionals in many sectors, this could give priority to the overall labour market in Europe?

Yes, I do. In the case of Greece, we need specialists in the field of tourism, outstanding professionals in the sector. Their lack is proved by the fact that many international companies in the tourism business cannot find high-level Greek specialists for their agencies in the country and have to "import" them from abroad. Another gap that needs to be compensated for is the serious lack of quality human resources in the industry, which should support it. Do not forget that the base of an economy is manufacturing, not the services sector. There is much required in modern technology too. There are not enough people with high expertise and innovative capabilities.