The crisis has taught Czechs to appreciate the certainty of having a job. Confidence in prospects for IT jobs remains high.

Brno

01/18/2012 - The ongoing crisis in the eurozone is worrying everyone across Europe and people are afraid of losing their jobs again. However, they regard IT as a highly promising industry, which is also borne out by the fact that the number of open vacancies for jobs and wages in the IT industry are on the rise. This viewpoint is supported by a public opinion poll focused on IT employees and people interested in careers in the IT sector. The survey was conducted to find people’s current views of IT employment. Respondents mainly appreciated the good career prospects, and the opportunity to work with modern technology. These answers even outweigh the importance that they give to remuneration. The poll follows up on a recent poll amongst recruitment agencies throughout the Czech Republic, which was conducted by Home Credit Group’s IT centre.

The results of the survey gave some of the following results. Every fourth respondent currently employed in the IT industry has selected this profession for the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies. Around only 12 per cent of the respondents cited financial reward as the answer to the question concerning their reason for working in IT. On the other hand, the virtual world in which work is done in IT, due to the very nature of this work, was cited as the downside of IT jobs.

Companies in the Czech market motivate candidates for positions in IT departments via extra benefits in the form of training. Training in IT, managerial skills and foreign languages was an example of the ideal employee benefits which were cited most frequently in the survey – by every third respondent who was employed or interested in the IT industry. The second most frequently mentioned ideal benefit was compensation, granted by an employer, for overtime in the form of finances or TOIL (every fifth respondent).

“Home Credit Group’s IT centre seeks to follow the trends and provides its employees with work on large projects involving modern technologies, with opportunities for training and professional certifications, flexible working hours, personal time off (the so-called Sick Days), contributions to their non-state pension schemes, a healthcare programme and, last but not least, company events,” says Radka Švejnohová, HR manager of Home Credit Group’s IT centre.

In general, the respondents associated their IT job description with information technology, provision and management of online communication, programming, and work on computers. The position of architect and analyst was the professional goal that IT employees and candidates mentioned most frequently.

Press Contacts

David Sahula

Group Communications Manager

Home Credit Group

Tel.: +420 2241 74485

Mobile: +420 725 779 934

E-mail: david.sahula@homecredit.eu

Notes for editors

Home Credit Group’s IT Centre is part of Home Credit International, a consulting and servicing company focused on Home Credit Group members. The IT centre is located in Brno and Ostrava, and is responsible for comprehensive IT support, including the development and operation of central applications that are key to the business activities of all companies operating under the Home Credit brand. At present, the Home Credit IT centre provides support for Home Credit in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Belarus, China and Vietnam.

More information available at http://itc.homecredit.net

Home Credit Group (Home Credit B.V. and its subsidiaries) (“Group”) is one of the leading providers of consumer finance in Europe, and offers its services to 4.5 million active clients (as at 30 June 2011). In selected countries, the Group also successfully offers and develops retail banking services. Home Credit Group is active in the Czech Republic (since 1997), Slovakia (since 1999), Russian Federation (since 2002), and Belarus (since 2007). In addition, the Home Credit brand has been present in Kazakhstan since 2005, where Home Credit B.V. is a minority shareholder in AO Home Credit Bank.

More information available at www.homecredit.eu.

Home Credit Group is wholly owned by PPF Group N.V. (“PPF”), one of the largest investment and financial groups in Central and Eastern Europe. PPF currently manages assets worth approximately EUR 12.4 billion (as at 31 December 2010), which include various activities from banking and insurance to real estate, energy and mining, and agriculture, to Russia’s largest consumer electronics retail chain. PPF’s activities spread from Central and Eastern Europe through Russia to Asia.

On the basis of Home Credit’s success in Europe, PPF also develops consumer finance under the Home Credit brand in Asia, specifically in China (since 2007) and Vietnam (since 2009), and explores opportunities to enter other emerging Asian markets.

More information available at www.ppf.eu.