Today was presented the annual report of AIBEST in the field of business, new technologies and education. The association aims to improve the business environment and at the same time to contribute to improving the quality of education and creating a knowledge-oriented economy. Iliya Krastev, Executive Director of AIBEST, presented the data for 2022.
The presented results cover a total of 802 Bulgarian companies, 360 of which are engaged in outsourced services, in the IT sector are 416, the share of those in the R&D (Research and Development) segment is very small. Over 50% of outsourcing companies are majority-owned by foreign companies. They employ 104 690 people, most of them – 62 778, are in IT companies. The report found that a large number of companies (81%) are located in the city of Sofia, followed by the city of Plovdiv, which is second in preference. According to the study, there is also an increased interest in cities such as Ruse and Stara Zagora.
In total, these companies account for 5.8% of Bulgaria’s GDP in 2022, and their share in the country’s economy is forecast to rise to 9.2% in 2025. The growth of this industry averages about 16% per year, making it one of the highest in the country. Total profit increased by 21.9% on an annual basis. There was also a 6.7% increase in wages over the previous year.
The open discussion was attended by Ms. Natalia Miteva, Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Dobroslav Dimitrov, Chairman of BASSCOM and Mr. Petar Ganev, economist at the Institute for Market Economics. The efforts made by businesses in the high-tech sector, which develop classes in secondary schools, and in some cities and entire schools, were discussed to train future staff, thus creating small communities with interests in high technologies outside the big cities.
The 2022 report also states that Bulgaria retains its position as one of the leading countries in the region in 20 of the world’s most famous rankings related to the competitiveness of national economies, with progress in the fight against corruption, attracting foreign investments and venture capital funds.
