Poznan, Poland’s fifth largest city and second most prosperous urban area after Warsaw, is one of the country’s leading business centres. Poznan has been achieving strong growth even during the financial crisis. The city is an important hub for trade, industry and education, and regularly hosts international conferences and trade fairs, including the UN Climate Change conference in 2008.
The Poznan area’s thriving economy is fuelled mainly by small and medium sized enterprises. Mayor Ryszard Grobelny explains, “Poznan has more SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants than any other urban area in Poland, and these companies are developing rapidly. We aim to continue to support our SMEs and to encourage larger capital investments in them to help them reach their potential.”
Poznan has 27 universities and professional training programmes and is known for its highly skilled human resources. Unemployment is very low at around 3.5%. While Poznan is not a destination for projects seeking cheap labour, it is ideal for projects which require specialised expertise, including in sciences, new technologies and languages.
“Poznan’s well-educated population is one of its key attractions for investors, along with our well- developed internal markets and the efficiency of the local business sector,” Ryszard Grobelny says. The city government partners with local universities and provides financial support for students studying specialised fields that will be of interest to investors.
Strong investment potential in key sectors
Poznan also offers well-developed transport infrastructure, a strategic location, and proven success in cutting-edge sectors. Poznan welcomes more foreign investment, particularly in the automotive industry, ICT, pharmaceuticals, food processing and medical research, sectors which Ryszard Grobelny cites as having particularly strong growth potential. All will benefit from access to Poznan’s high quality labour pool.
“Companies already established here are very satisfied with Poznan. Our biggest investments have been by Polish companies operating here and reinvesting on a large scale. This should inspire confidence in potential foreign investors,” Ryszard Grobelny points out. He explains that leaders in Poznan’s business sector work together to promote the city and surrounding area and to create even more reasons to invest there. The mayor concludes, “Poland overall is an excellent choice for foreign investors because of its stability, location, skilled labour and business friendly government. And Poznan offers its own unique advantages that investors should definitely come here and see for themselves.”
