Bucharest, May 3 /Rompres/ - Romania has all the trump cards for becoming a successful destination for outsourcing different activities, according to a study conducted by neoIT that ranks it second among the Southeastern European countries as for the advantages it has to become an IT offshore destination, Capital review informs in its latest issue.

Competitiveness as for the setting up costs, of operational costs and also a business environment favourable to entrepreneurs, these are only a few of the advantages leading to this ranking.

The study was conducted in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia, the results being compared to Ireland's situation, considered as the most mature destination of outsourcing in Europe. Relevant factors took into account that indicate each country's level were: financial benefits, maturity of business environment, workforce, infrastructure and the catalytic agent, each being in its own turn quantified according to some criteria.

Amid Southeastern European countries Romania is remarked due to the lowest costs involved in launching a business, at the opposite pole being Croatia.

As well, there is also the less costly business environment in Romania as for a company's operations and here the authors refer to the fiscal system. Cumulated, these two factors put Romania in the top as regards the financial benefits, even ahead of Ireland that is the most expensive country from this point of view.

Business maturity is measured according to the facility with which a business is started and is led, business environment's maturity and flexibility the employers have. As for the first of these criteria Romania ranks first among Southeastern European countries, following Ireland, because the authorities ask for the smallest number of procedures as regards launching a business, procedures that also can be carried out in the smallest number of days. But business environment is more mature in Slovenia than in Romania, in its favour also counting the fact this is already a member state of the European Union.

But Romania is lagging behind when the employers' obligations are taken into account, they being confronted with great difficulties as for the hiring and firing procedures, the study considering these as remnants from the Communist period.

"Romanian economy has aligned itself to the world economy and has at present the greatest number of expats from the four examined countries", the study explained, showing that more than 65,000 foreigners work in Romania. In Slovenia 39,000 foreigners are employed and in Croatia approximately 3,000.

The study highlights human resources as representing, by far, the critical factor with a determining role in transforming a country into an offshore for outsourcing. The factors taken into consideration were: dimension of available workforce in the respective country, employees' training and investments into human resources. This chapter revealed the fact that Romania ranks first in Europe and sixth in the world from the point of view of certified IT specialists, their density being higher than in Russia or the United States. As well, Romanians speak well English and French, in contrast with the Slovenes who speak only German very well.