Talent management in CEE

Young, well-trained, talented people from the Central and Eastern European countries are still eager to go to Western Europe. However, High Potentials, i.e., professional newcomers with the potential to become top executives, are increasingly important as a success factor for business enterprises in CEE: the supply is dwindling, loyalty towards employers is decreasing. The problem is compounded by often exaggerated salary demands. For many employees, the fact that another company is prepared to pay a marginally higher salary is sufficient reason for a change. In the past, Austria was far ahead of everyone else as far as the problem of finding High Potentials was concerned; nowadays, the situation is almost identical in all the states examined (Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic). The Czech Republic is regarded as the "problem child" in this area.

Enterprises react by providing their own High Potential programs: internal training courses, coaching, mentoring and a corporate culture aimed at keeping employees happy are the prerequisites for keeping young, talented employees in the company. Moreover, employers recruit via personal networks and head hunters, particularly in the Czech Republic, where the supply is most severely limited. Otherwise, the classical instruments still dominate the scene: job advertisements, partnerships with local universities and participation in career fairs.

The executives questioned pronounced themselves satisfied with the qualifications of the applicants. The only problem they see is a lack of international experience. This is mainly due to the fact that, in the Central and Eastern European countries, student exchange programs have only just started to be implemented fully. On the other hand, the above-average foreign-language skills, especially of the Czech High Potentials, are quite remarkable.