PRESS RELEASE 26 May 2021

HOA - KSH cooperation agreement: the Hungarian Service Industry and Outsourcing  Association (HOA) and the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) have signed a cooperation agreement to map the Hungarian service sector. The agreement was signed by Monika Slomska, President of the HOA and Dr Áron Kincses, Deputy President of the KSH (KSH Directorate of Statistics).

The cooperation agreement aims to jointly develop a professional and technical framework for the exchange of information that will enable mapping the activities of service centres in the future. The professional organisation and the Office will support each other in understanding the Hungarian service sector, in identifying the specific characteristics of its operational activities and in related structural, geographical and trend analyses. The cooperation agreement also provides a framework for possible future separate agreements between the KSH and the HOA.

Monika Slomska, President of the Hungarian Service Industry and Outsourcing  Association (HOA), said: "The agreement with the KSH will allow for an outstanding professional cooperation, which will further strengthen the business services industry, also known as the flagship of the Hungarian economy, in the region, thus contributing to attracting further new investments and creating new jobs.”

According to Dr Áron Kincses, Vice President of KSH, the cooperation between the KSH and the HOA is an essential milestone in the more complete exploration of the characteristics of the Hungarian SSC sector and the professional analysis of the interrelationships. "I am confident that the annual KSH data collection on the SSC sector and the related report on the activities of service centres will contribute greatly to this", Dr Áron Kincses added.

According to the HOA's own industry research, more than 205 regional and global business service centres are operating in Hungary, employing some 74,000 people, and these numbers are set to grow significantly this year. Some of these service companies provide services to clients other than the parent company, ranging from finance, payroll and network design to high-level engineering and business process automation. The sector is constantly evolving, with centres representing an ever higher added value.

HOA is the leading professional organisation in the service sector in Hungary. Its 106 members include most large Hungarian and international companies and SMEs involved in outsourcing or business services. As the industry's inescapable professional association, HOA represents the interests of the sector. The HOA is an association of business service providers, which aims to inform society and the economy about the functioning of the business service sector, the essence of organisational and process innovation and the opportunities it offers, based on methodological principles and practical experience. The sectoral professional organisation aims to promote the exploitation of the potential of methodologies and practices to enhance economic and social development efficiency. As such, the organisation intends to play an active role not only in the transfer of mature knowledge but also in its development. 

Budapest, 26 May 2021