News

2021-01-19

Wages stagnated last year, the goal for 2021 is personnel and economic stabilization

Hays, the specialist recruitment company, conducted a survey of recruitment trends and salaries of qualified workforce across the industries for 2021. The Hays Salary Guide evaluates the salary data collected from more than 20,000 registered candidates and over 6,000 job offers.

“The pandemic affected individual sectors differently, with most needing to make some redundancies, but many were still looking for new staff, with the second half of the year in particular seeing more recruitment take place. Some areas, like in IT or the Life Sciences sector, have seen growth throughout the pandemic and continue to actively seek experienced professionals for their projects.Higher activity of applicants is also evident in some areas of the financial segment, such as controlling and analysis," says Sándor Bodnár, Director of Hays, about the situation on the labor market last year.

A new reality: Remote working and the hybrid team model
Lockdowns hit the Czech Republic twice last year, both varying in their intensity and influence on working patterns and recruitment. Moving quickly from the workplace to home-office wherever possible has been a major challenge for many companies. Data protection and cyber security are becoming a priority, given the number of workers in this mode and the overall higher online activity of the population.

“Digitization and an increase in automation can be seen across all sectors and business areas, and the advent of the pandemic has accelerated its development even more. New roles will continue to emerge, while others will adapt to meet new expectations and business needs of companies. These trends are especially visible in the areas of online marketing and e-commerce, and in the IT field, companies are strengthening their teams with positions focused on machine learning, Cloud and IoT solutions.”, adds Sándor Bodnár from Hays.

Wage stagnation and a different approach to the benefits offered
“Wages across sectors stagnated last year. A slight increase of 3 - 10% was evident mainly in the roles with high demand, a narrow specialization or because of urgency from the employer, for example on the roles mentioned above. Applicants therefore looked at other aspects beyond the salary of a role, such as the attractiveness of the job content itself, the possibility for growth, the offer of courses and other opportunities for further education or flexibility and stability of the employer. When considering benefits package, companies have gone in two directions, either narrowing the range of benefits in order to reduce costs, or have revived their offer of benefits and adapted them to the current situation. Currently, benefits such as paid-for tests for Covid-19, financial compensation when working from home, online psychological consultations etc. can be found more often.”, says Sándor Bodnár, Managing Director of Hays.

For 2021 experts expect a GDP growth of 3.9%. Companies will therefore put more effort on economical and personnel stabilization.

Situation across the business sectors:

Accountancy and Finance

We can see less job opportunities for experienced finance managers. Many companies have cancelled such jobs and their responsibilities are currently covered by existing teams. On the other hand, the demand for applicants for financial and business controlling, which are essential in companies setting up cost-saving solutions, has increased significantly.

Companies are being more careful when selecting new employees. Therefore, selection processes are being extended and companies are also including assignments / case studies in them to make sure of the qualification of the candidate. There was a sharp decline in wages offered for finance managers, conversely, growth has been seen in highly demanded positions in controlling and analysis, where job seekers may receive wages that are higher by 5-10%. This year companies will continue to look for ways to cut costs, to optimise organisational structure and their recruitment processes.

Accountancy and Finance	2019/2020	2020/2021
Financial Accountant	40 000 - 50 000	40 000 - 50000
Invoicing	30 000 - 35 000	25 000 - 35 000
Finance Manager	100 000 - 150 000	100 000 - 150 000
Business Analyst	50 000 - 70 000	50 000 - 80 000

Banking

Last year, the priority of financial institutions was mainly the development of internal digital projects, the optimization of online tools and also effective customer service. There has been an increase in marketing positions in banks, business positions have decreased and their further reduction will probably take place this year as well. The impact of the pandemic on the hospitality and retail segments has sparked a great interest among candidates with experience from these industries to join a career in banking. Companies are therefore facing a large number of responses to junior business positions, but not all job seekers have the necessary personal and professional qualifications for such jobs.

Wages stagnated last year and the same situation will persist this year. The range of benefits remains attractive and varied, despite austerity measures - flexibility, a cafeteria system and attractive bonus schemes dominate.

Banking	2019/2020	2020/2021
Credit Analyst	50 000 - 75 000	50 000 - 75 000
Internal Audit Specialist	50 000 - 90 000	50 000 - 90 000
Personal Banker	28 000 - 38 000	28 000 - 38 000
Relationship Manager - SME	35 000 - 45 000	35 000 - 45 000

Administration, HR and Law
Due to the massive transition by companies to remote working, the need for administrative staff and office support in general has decreased. Therefore, dismissals have been frequent across companies, and existing employee contracts have not been extended.

HR positions were among the more frequently available last year. HR staff have been closely working with other departments to transition employees to home office and create programmes for successful onboarding and online training. Their task was to ensure the overall wellbeing of employees in the new situation, and to create new standards for a safe return to offices and the subsequent working practices within these offices. Wages across most positions have stagnated over the past two years. This year will not be any different, and no general changes can be expected in the remuneration of positions in the sector.

Recruitment has remained relatively active within the legal services sector. Companies are mainly looking for junior candidates with knowledge of English and German. Since there are very few such candidates available in the market, companies can tailor their financial packaged offered based on the abilities of the candidate. For 2021, we can expect a very slight increase of wages, however, it is likely that this increase will not exceed 5%.

Administration / HR / Law	2018/2019	2020/2021
Team Assistant	28 000 - 45 000	28 000 - 45 000
HR Administrator	30 000 - 40 000	30 000 - 40 000
Office Manager	40 000 - 60 000	40 000 - 60 000
Call Centre Operator	22 000 - 30 000	25 000 - 35 000
Junior Lawyer / corporate	35 000 - 60 000	35 000 - 60 000

Sales and Marketing

The impact of the restrictive measures varied mainly depending on the area of business operation. In general, companies have strengthened their e-commerce teams - online sales have helped them to cover the drop in sales from closed brick-and-mortar stores. Outside the marketing area, experienced salespersons with knowledge of the given area of business were also on demand, primarily for acquisition activities. Wages for such roles workers grew very slightly, up to a maximum of 3%. There were no redundancies in the commercial sector. Applicants are strongly motivated by the strength of the employer's brand, which will be a priority for them this year as well, as wages will not rise further.

Sales and Marketing	2019/2020	2020/2021
Sales Representative / FMCG	30 000 - 50 000	30 000 - 50 000
Sales Representative / Technical	35 000 - 65 000	35 000 - 65 000
Sales Representative / IT	40 000 - 55 000	40 000 - 55 000
E-commerce Manager / FMCG	35 000 - 60 000	40 000 - 100 000

Retail

Different situation is with retailers. Many companies have not been able to avoid laying off employees, with global brands reducing the number of brick-and-mortar stores, choosing instead to focus on further stabilising their businesses or strengthening their e-commerce channels. Traders lack tourists, especially in the luxury and premium segments, where foreign customers represent a majority of their sales volume.

Decline in wages is present mainly in Prague, particularly in senior roles like Area Managers, where the current financial offer is approximately 5-7% lower than it has been previously. Planned expansions have been postponed to this year, which could bring a new recovery and new jobs to the sector. But everything will depend on the further development of the pandemic.

Retail	2019/2020	2020/2021
Shop Assistant	21 000 - 50 000	22 000 - 50 000
Store Manager	28 000 - 60 000	28 000 - 60 000
E-commerce Manager	45 000 - 150 000	45 000 - 150 000
Brand Manager	40 000 - 75 000	40 000 - 75 000

Life Sciences

Recruitment also slowed down in pharmaceutical companies in the beginning of the year 2020, but it was relatively lively in the area of medical equipment. Especially in the second half of the year, new positions were opening, especially digitally focused, but also educational. Companies prefer experienced candidates rather than juniors and graduates. Wages in the sector grew slightly on certain roles, especially for experienced traders and e-commerce specialists, by an average of 5%. A similar trend is expected this year.

Farmacie	2019/2020	2020/2021
Medical Sales Representative Rx	40 000 - 60 000	40 000 - 60 000
Medical Sales Representative / OTC	35 000 - 45 000	35 000 - 45 000
Medical Sales Representative / Diagnostic	45 000 - 55 000	40 000 - 55 000
Marketing Manager	100 000 - 130 000	100 000 - 120 000

IT and Telecommunications

There was a certain slowdown in the IT labour market at the end of 2019 already. Companies rationalized their recruitment strategies and, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, intensified their efforts. The sector has been admirably resilient to the unexpected changes, the number of jobs available declined temporarily, but employers' demand remained higher compared to candidates available. There was a drop down of vacancies for project managers. On the other hand, number of jobs for developers, experts in cloud solutions, machine learning or security remained high or even increased. The trend of hiring IT experts from outside the EU has been completely disregarded, primarily due to traveling obstacles. Wages usually remain unchanged, any increases are minimal and only on an individual basis.

A number of roles in the sector show a drop down in the maximum levels of wages offered.

Information Technology /Telco	2019/2020	2020/2021
Java/.NET Developer	60 000 - 140 000	60 000 - 140 000
Programmer / Analyst (graduate)	35 000 - 65 000	35 000 - 65 000
DevOps Engineer	60 000 - 180 000	60 000 - 140 000
Analyst / Security Specialist	40 000 - 90 000	60 000 - 110 000

Manufacturing & Engineering

The slowdown in the industry was seen as early as the beginning of 2020, and fully erupted with the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis in the Czech Republic a couple of months later. The hardest hit areas in the first phase were those businesses involved in the supply chain of Asian companies, and then those that were somewhat dependent on Italy and Spain in Europe. The most affected area was in the automotive industry, where all suppliers were affected by the crisis. The only exception in the automotive industry has been in Research and Development centres, where there is continued interest in highly qualified candidates from both the Czech Republic and abroad. We have already seen an increase in the need for automation over the last few years. This year’s coronavirus crisis has amplified this need, and so we are seeing ever-increasing demand for candidates, especially in the positions of PLC programmers, PLC test engineers and automation technicians. The majority of companies have had to lay off employees, especially in low-level production positions. In many companies, there has been a reduction in working hours or cancelled shift work. Companies in the pharmaceutical, food and service sectors were performing the best. As employers strive to reduce wage costs, the amount of they’re willing to offer a candidate has become a key factor in the selection process. There may be a slight increase in wages in specialised positions at R&D centres or in automation-focused positions this year.

Manufacturing & Engineering (3-5 yrs exp.)	2019/2020	2020/2021
Production Engineer	50 000 - 75 000	50 000 - 75 000
Quality Engineer	50 000 - 80 000	50 000 - 80 000
PLC Programmer	43 000 - 80 000	43 000 - 80 000
R&D Designer	50 000 - 80 000	50 000 - 80 000

Logistics

Wage growth in the logistics and purchasing sector has stagnated over some time, and in some cases, wages are actually declining. This hit carriers and companies dealing with external logistics the hardest in the sector.Some employers, like carriers, manufacturing companies linked to the automotive sector or storage providers, had to make redundancies for cost-saving reasons and reorganise their businesses when these positions were cancelled. The situation has been different for companies focusing on medical equipment, pharmaceuticals or FMCG, which have actually increased their capacities and recorded growth, both economically and in terms of number of employees they have.

New jobs are often advertised with a lower basic salary than last year, by a maximum of 5%. Experienced Buyers are currently the most sought-after job profiles in the sector, where demand remains relatively stable and wage offerings tend to be stable as well. In 2021, we do not expect wages to grow, but also more importantly, even not to decline.

Logistics & Purchasing	2019/2020	2020/2021
Purchasing Assistant	37 000 - 45 000	35 000 - 43 000
Purchasing Coordinator	39 000 - 50 000	38 000 - 48 000
Logistics Manager	85 000 - 180 000	80 000 - 160 000
Logistics Specialist	30 000 - 50 000	28 000 - 50 000

Construction & Property

Construction companies lack unqualified construction workers, may lead to a delay within the entire construction process. There is still demand for experienced construction managers and people for the preparation stages, or specialists in the technical security of buildings. The closure of retail branches or entire shopping centres has transferred a huge volume of purchases to the online environment, and e-commerce is thus on the rise. This has meant increased demand for storage premises. In the case of the residential market, a significant topic will be the demand in Prague, the Central Bohemian region and probably in Brno and its immediate vicinity as well. In the office market, the importance of first-class projects that offer exceptional technologies, equipment, services and locations will grow. This will result in ongoing demand for acquisition experts and experienced project managers or technicians who specialise in interior installations and conversions - so-called ‘fit-outs. Wage growth will not happen this year, as the second wave of the pandemic may hit the market harder than the first wave.

Construction & Property	2019/2020	2020/2021
Construction Manager	40 000 - 70 000	35 000 - 60 000
Budgeting	35 000 - 60 000	35 000 - 60 000
Property Manager	60 000 - 90 000	55 000 - 90 000
Technical Director	70 000 - 130 000	70 000 - 120 000

Shared Services Centres

March 2020 saw a temporary freezing of the labour market for shared services centres and a suspension of recruitment processes. Organisations primarily tied to the segments most affected by the pandemic have not avoided lay-offs. The austerity measures applied by companies meant that wage growth stalled, mostly due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Wages have remained at the same level as in the previous year. The number of vacant jobs is lower than it was at the beginning of last year. Job seekers who are currently unemployed are now willing to accept a compromise with job offers and are often willing to reduce their wage demands if this may increase the likelihood of finding a new job more quickly. The 2021 may bring an increase in job opportunities again, including newly opened positions. However, the speed at which vacant positions are offered and the number that we will see, will be closely related to the further development of the pandemic.

Business Services / AP/AR¹	2019/2020	2020/2021
Junior	35 000 - 40 000	35 000 - 40 000
Specialist	38 000 - 45 000	38 000 - 45 000
Senior	45 000 - 55 000	45 000 - 55 000
Team Leader	55 000 - 85 000	55 000 - 85 000
¹ Wages include bonuses for knowledge of another language, apart from English

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2020 the Group employed c.10,400 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2020:

– the Group reported net fees of £996.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £135.0 million;

– the Group placed around 66,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 235,000 people into temporary roles;

– 17% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);

– the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees;

– IT is the group’s largest specialism, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Construction & Property (12%), are the next largest

– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA

2020-10-01

Say hello to EVA - Eurowag's latest innovation delivers telematics, toll payment , and anti-fraud protection in one solution

Eurowag, a leading provider of commercial road transport solutions in Europe launches a new innovation, E.V.A. (Enhanced Vehicle Assistant), redefining toll payments and telematics services. In combination with Eurowag’s EETS on-board unit, EVA provides seamless toll payment across 8 countries and 3 major tunnels. Advanced telematics integration delivers transport operators with significant cost savings on fuel and maintenance, while proprietary geolocation technology protects businesses from most fuel theft fraud. Moreover, EVA comes in an elegant and easy-to-use package.

EVA comes bundled with EW Telematics, an extremely user-friendly fleet management software. Engineered for a truly intuitive experience, EW Telematics delivers a plethora of powerful features in a beautiful interface where everything is accessible at a glance. Managers of transport operators can see where their trucks are in real time, calculate route costs, check gas station prices, and send drivers to the most convenient locations. Dispatchers will be able to review exact CAN Bus readings, remotely download tachograph data, or review legal drivers time and send them to safe resting locations. All at a touch of a button.

“We designed EVA with owners, dispatchers, and drivers in mind. Everything is as simple as possible: Installation couldn’t be easier, OBU navigation is super intuitive and full colour, and the telematics software is a real breeze to use. The box is a marvel of European technology and fully future proof, as we continue expanding our EETS certification footprint. But EVA is not just elegantly simple and technically advanced: it delivers real cost savings to company owners. We’re really proud of it,” says Marc Trollet, Telematics Managing Director at Eurowag.

EVA is available from 1^st of October 2020 in three packages (START, PLUS, and ULTRA), which are affordably priced to meet the budget requirements of small and large operators alike.

More information about the new are in digital trucking at eurowag.com/eva.

ABOUT EUROWAG

With a history spanning 25 years of innovation, Eurowag is the fastest growing integrated mobility solution provider in Europe. Focused on simplifying the lives of commercial road transport operators and delivering them with affordable solutions to their business needs. Whether it’s fuel and toll payments, tax refund, fleet management, financial services, or simple advice Eurowag is here to help customers successfully move 300,000 vehicles across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information, visitwww.eurowag.com

2020-05-20

Professionals are looking forward to returning to the offices. Flexibility of teleworking, less face to face meetings and austerity measures as results of pandemic according to the Hays recent survey.

· Nearly half (48%) of employees say they are looking forward to returning to their place of work

· 30% of workers are concerned about the risk of infection when returning to the office

· 33% of professionals expect there will be more flexibility to work remotely following the pandemic

Recruiting experts, Hays, has conducted a poll of over 1,400 people globally to find out their concerns around returning to their place of work following the end of lockdown restrictions and the changes they expect to happen in the world of work as a direct result of the pandemic.

The Czech Republic is currently in a period when companies and businesses are returning to operation. A number of new hygienic standards apply, so we cannot call this operation normal, however, companies operate and employees are generally allowed to return to offices on a voluntary basis.

When asked if they were looking forward to going back into the office, 48% of respondents stated they were, while only 25% said they weren’t looking forward to it and 27% said they were indifferent.

Sandor Bodnar, Managing Director of Hays Czech and Romania, commented; “With nearly half of those surveyed saying they are looking forward to returning to the office, businesses must make sure their workplace is prepared, with social distancing precautions in place, to ensure they are continuing to prioritise the health and wellbeing of their employees. They must also make sure they are following any local government regulations or guidance. I think it’s also important to acknowledge that just because someone is looking forward to returning to the office, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are willing to face any perceived risks in returning, such as crowded public transportation services.”

People will be looking forward to returning for different reasons. Everybody’s lockdown experience has been unique to them. Some have been success in the transition to remote working whilst other others will have been trying to juggle other commitments, been ill themselves or some may have struggled to find a suitable work location or not had the correct equipment to allow them to work.”

When asked if they had any reservations about returning to the office, 30% said they didn’t want to risk potential infection. Meanwhile, 18% of respondents stated they didn’t have any concerns about returning, 17% said they weren’t looking forward to their commute and 16% thought they had been more productive at home. Only 13% said they didn’t want to disrupt their new work life balance and 5% said they have other commitments which mean they must remain at home.

When asked about how they thought their world of work will change as a result of the pandemic, 33% said they expect there to be more flexibility to work remotely. While 19% said they expect there to be fewer face-to-face meetings, 17% expect budgets to be cut and 11% expect the workforce to be smaller and a further 11% expect their priorities to change. Only 5% thought there wouldn’t be any changes and 3% expect their workload to be lighter.

Sándor Bodnár from Hays said, “We can expect some big changes in this new era of work versus the world we left behind just a few short months ago, some that aren’t even obvious yet. In a lot of ways, the pandemic has advanced how we work by a number of years and some of these changes we can certainly expect to remain. Again, it’s up to business leaders to be clear with their employees on the changes they can expect and how they will affect them. There are many considerations for businesses if they plan on permanently implementing some of these changes, such as inclusion when they are managing a hybrid workforce with a mix of office based and remote workers.”

Respondents were asked a qualifying question of whether they had been working remotely and responses were collected between 17 April and 11 May onwww.social.hays.com.

2019-11-11

Coca-Cola last year generated CZK 5.6bn for the Czech economy

Coca-Cola last year generated more than 5.6bn Czech crowns for the Czech economy while supporting more than 5,000 jobs. These conclusions stem from a new unique study on economic and social impacts, conducted by independent, reputable consulting firm Steward Redqueen. The Coca-Cola System, meanwhile, has announced a further increase in its record investments in the Czech Republic – it plans to invest over CZK 3bn by 2021 in latest technologies.

“The Czech Republic is now celebrating 30 years since the Velvet Revolution and the modern history of Coca-Cola in the Czech Republic is almost as long as that period. At the same time, we are convinced that thanks to large investments and localization we are much more Czech than people suspect. We have therefore decided to highlight our impact on the Czech economy and society with independent figures,” said Natalia Stroe, Director of Coca-Cola Czech Republic.

“In the past three years we have invested a record amount in the Czech Republic, primarily in the modernization of the production plant in Prague Kyje, which we want to turn into a plant of the future. This year, we have decided to further increase investment in the Czech Republic. We bought the Toma plant in Teplice nad Metují and we are also planning new investments here. We are preparing a fully automated warehouse integrated into the production plant, which will eliminate the current traffic load between production and the external warehouse. We are also starting to supply tens of thousands of low-energy refrigerators to our customers and we are planning to invest significantly in environmentally friendly packaging with a higher proportion of recycled PET. In the period from 2017 to 2021, in all we will invest more than three billion crowns in the Czech Republic,” added CEO of Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia, Maria Anargyrou-Nikolic.

The Coca-Cola System is made up of Coca-Cola Czech Republic and Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia, which produces and distributes the beverage portfolio to customers. Drinks are the final products and many suppliers also contribute to the added value. The sale of beverages also creates value for customers – shops and restaurants. Thanks to a unique methodology, the study monitors the social and economic impacts throughout this value chain.

Coca-Cola is local

Coca-Cola in 2018 produced more than 317 million liters of beverages in its production facility in Prague-Kyje. In addition to deliveries in the Czech Republic, the company has been steadily exporting beverages to more than 10 neighboring countries, including Switzerland and Austria. Beverage production has risen approximately threefold since the establishment of the plant in the early 1990s. Last year, the company had approximately 40,000 customers in the Czech Republic (supermarkets, shops, restaurants, cafes), selling more than 200 kinds of drinks in various packages. Consumers spent about CZK 8.25bn on Coca-Cola products. And 69% of each invested crown remained in the Czech economy as income. At the same time, the company purchased goods and services from domestic suppliers with a value of CZK 2.24bn last year.

The added value of the Czech economy was CZK 5.655 billion

The Coca-Cola System itself created added value of CZK 0.964bn. The added value in the supply chain was CZK 1.87bn and the sum in the subscriber chain was CZK 2.82bn. The total added value corresponds to 0.1% of the Czech Republic's gross domestic product. Last year, Coca-Cola directly paid CZK 776mn in salaries, while, indirectly, CZK 1.76bn went to salaries. Coca-Cola also paid CZK 188mn into public budgets. The state gained another CZK 2.151bn indirectly. Together these last two figures made up 0.2% of tax revenues in the Czech Republic.

Impact on employment – more than 5 500 people

The Coca-Cola System employed 828 people in 2018. Another 1,600 jobs were created by suppliers and about 3,000 jobs were created by customers. For each job in the Coca-Cola System, there were five additional supported jobs for suppliers and customers. In 2019, the company's workforce continued to increase – for example, the acquisition of the Toma plant meant more than 50 new employees were taken on board.

Sustainability and communities

Coca-Cola HBC has also published its sustainability report 2018. Among other things, it shows that since 2010 the company has reduced CO2 consumption per liter of beverage produced by 70% to 32.6 g. Water consumption has dropped from nearly 3 liters per liter of beverage produced to 1.92 liters over a decade. In the same period, the production plant Praha-Kyje increased its proportion of recycled waste from 52% to 99% and all electricity for this plant comes from renewable sources.

Coca-Cola is a leader in using recycled plastic in its packaging. PET bottles are made of 10-45% of “rPET” (recycled PET). For colored glass bottles, 75% of the glass is recycled. Coca-Cola HBC 22 years ago initiated and co-founded the authorized packaging company Eko-kom, thanks to which approximately 80% of PET bottles are collected in the Czech Republic today.

Within the community, Coca-Cola HBC has developed its flagship project To Dáš! (“You can do it!”), which helps disadvantaged young people in the labor market. In 2018, 492 people were trained under the project. Some of the training took place in cooperation with the Tereza Maxová Foundation which helps young people from children's homes. In this area, Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia has provided help over the long term. The company has contributed more than CZK 20mn to children's homes over the past 15 years.

About the study:

The Social and Economic Impact Study (SEIS) was created by economists from international company Steward Redqueen. The study is based on audited economic results from 2018.

The study quantifies the impact of the Coca-Cola System on its value chain. The authors identify the impact indicators as household income, government income, corporate income and employment. The authors also followed everything systemically throughout the company – they followed the path extending from suppliers of key raw materials and services, through the Coca-Cola System, to business partners. The overall impact of the system is then quantified by monitoring cash flows in the Czech economy using an economic model that combines Coca-Cola's financial systems and official statistics. Added value (salaries, taxes and profits) and supported jobs in the Czech Republic are also estimated in each round of expenditure.

The methodology of this study is based on the work of a Nobel Prize winner in economics, Russian-American scientist Wassily Leontief. Steward Redqueen has offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Singapore and Princeton. It has conducted similar social and economic impact studies in more than 30 countries. The first Czech SEIS study was created in 2014.

2019-03-13

Coca-Cola Brings to Slovakia the Iconic IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Trophy on the Occasion of the 29th IIHF World Championship 2019

Bratislava, March 12, 2019 - The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Trophy will be introduced to the Slovak public within the launch of Coca-Cola's new campaign, whose ambassadors are world ice hockey legends. Marian Hossa and Patrik Elias introduced the trophy in the Ondrej Nepela Stadium.

Over more than 130 years, during which consumers' taste preferences and life style have naturally changed, Coca-Cola has always come with innovative brands and own identity. Today, the company presents something which connects not only Slovakia and the Czech Republic but the whole world. It is sport on ice. Ice hockey is real passion for all generations of Slovaks. Last time, Slovaks were able to watch the Ice Hockey World championship in person 8 years ago and Coca-Cola was also present.

"It is our honor that we were able to connect with ice hockey legends such as Marian Hossa and Patrik Elias, who, in today's online times, support and initiate the interest in sport in young people,"said Natalia Stroe, Country Manager of The Coca-Cola Company for the Czech Republic & Slovakia.

The ice hockey campaign itself is in the spirit of a funny game with ice hockey rules entitled #cokerulez.

In addition to a television spot, interactive fun zones, activations in the sales points and special ice hockey edition of Coca-Cola drinks, a digital campaign featuring local Slovak influencers is also part of the communication.

This year, Coca-Cola also provides a special opportunity to see the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Trophy, which will visit, within the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, 15 towns across Slovakia in the period from March 30, 2019 to April 13, 2019. You will be able to see the trophy for example in Bratislava, Kosice, Poprad, Zilina, Trencin or Banska Bystrica.

The partnership is accompanied especially by the Coca-Cola Zero brand. "We really believe our Zero is a Hero. Our consumers' needs are changing and we strive to address their preferences and support them in calorie intake control," added Maria Kolarovska, Regional Sales Manager Slovakia for Coca-Cola HBC Cesko and Slovensko. At the same time, Coca-Cola is proud to have achieved excellent results, where the sale of the calorie-free and low-caloric drink portfolio has risen, over the last two years, 50%. The company tries to support especially young people in restricted sugar consumption not only by reducing sugar content in its drinks. Since September 2018, Coca-Cola has reduced, beyond the frame of its legal obligations, the sale of sugary drinks in high schools across Slovakia, where it now offers only non-caloric and low-calorie drinks, water, juices and plant-based drinks AdeZ.

Coca-Cola's interest in young people does not focus only on sport and reducing calories in drinks. One of the Coca-Cola HBC's community programs focuses on young people with restricted access to education and job opportunities. For this reason, the company will support them within the "To das" ('You Can Do It') program which will be introduced in Slovakia soon.