“The Hungarian economy must be taken into a new dimension in which the determining factor is not the number of workplaces, but their level of technology and the added value they produce”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared on Thursday in Szeged.
At the official inauguration of EPAM Systems Limited’s new office building in Szeged, the Minister highlighted: “The key to a country’s success is how quickly it succeeds in switching to the new digital industrial age”, adding that “It is of key importance to countries that they are able to convince the most important participants of the new digital industrial age that it is worth investing and realising development projects there”.
“EPAM has been on the Forbes list of the world’s 25 most rapidly growing IT companies for the past four years, and is one of the most important software development companies in global comparison”, the politician told the press.
“The opening of the new development centre is the result of the strategic cooperation agreement concluded between EPAM and the Hungarian Government in August 2016”, the Minister said.
“By investing in Hungary, the determining companies of the global market are helping to keep highly trained, talented and creative young Hungarians at home. In addition to representing the highest possible level of technology, the workplaces created by EPAM also offer competitive salaries”, Mr. Szijjártó emphasised.
“EPAM is present in 25 countries on four continents. Its headquarters are in the United States, and it employs a total number of 22 thousand people”, the politician said, adding: “The United States is the second largest investor in Hungary following Germany; the 1700 American enterprises currently operating in Hungary provide jobs for 100 thousand people”.
The company’s Managing Director Bence Vinkó told reporters that EPAM has been operating in Hungary for the past ten years and today employs over 1500 software developers not only in Szeged, but also in Budapest and Debrecen.
“The software development company opened its first office in Szeged with 20 employees in a space of 200 square metres (2,150 square feet), where thanks to the city’s university it was easy to find excellently trained IT professionals”, the Managing Director said.
“The company currently employs 350 people in the city, and Szeged’s and the whole Southern Great Plain region’s most modern office building will provide them with a high quality working environment on 6300 square metres (68,000 square feet) of office space”, he told the press.
“One of EPAM’s priority goals is to increase its level of investment in Hungary and to multiply the value of the services it provides from here year-by-year”, Mr. Vinkó stressed.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)
