"We are hiring about 200 people a year. I think this is a solid growth rate. GE has experienced a gradual increase on the market, given that it started out with two people in 1984," says Cristian Colteanu, executive manager of General Electric for Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova.
Most of General Electric's divisions are present locally: GE Money, GE Commercial Finance, GE Healthcare, GE Industrial and GE Infrastructure, with the latter being divided into sectors such as aviation, energy, petrol and gas, and transportation.
General Electric posted sales worth 400 million dollars (270 million euros) in Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova, whilst the company derived its highest revenues from banking services, real estate and medical equipment services, according to the latest information provided by the company.
Last year, only two employees left GE, according to Colteanu, after they were offered more attractive career development opportunities.
"As far as our company is concerned, I don't think there is a workforce crisis on the local market. We've never had any problems identifying potential candidates for our divisions," explains the GE executive. Hiring within GE is conducted depending on the business development needs, so there are no periods dedicated to recruitment.
Moreover, there is a trend emerging, whereby Romanians working abroad are returning home, given the opportunities that have arisen on the local market.
"There are a few sectors that face a workforce shortage due to their fast growth rate. Such is the IT&C sector and the banking sector," specifies Colteanu.
According to him, one of the factors behind the company's growth has been its flexibility towards reinventing itself, comparable to that of a small company.
"There is a widely known principle, according to which a smaller company tends to adapt more easily. Although it is huge globally, General Electric has been able to reposition itself and to adapt to market requirements," says Colteanu. The local GE subsidiary has been one of the fastest growing in Europe, after recent investments amounted to 500 million dollars.
Additionally, several Romanians are working as managers in GE branches around the world.
"For instance, we have an HR manager in the GE Security division in Brussels, in London we have a sales manager within the same division. We also have a Romanian financial manager who operates in the USA," says Colteanu.
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