Wielkopolska Region - good place for your investment

Wielkopolska Region, thanks to its key location and great human potential, is a leader in attracting new investors. After nearly three decades of operating in the global free market space, it has developed clear development strategies, encouraging the most important investors to locate capital, thus laying the foundations for a modern European region. The areas of smart specializations specified in the Regional Innovation Strategy for Wielkopolska Region 2030 are evidence of a clearly chosen will to develop, which, combined with the ability to support investment processes, creates a real attractive space for future entrepreneurs.

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LOCATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

 

Wielkopolska Region is a region located in west and central Poland. Poznań, the largest city in the region has been located at a distance of 230 kilometres from Berlin and almost 280 kilometres from Warsaw.

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The Region is administratively divided into 35 districts and 226 communes. There are 112 cities in Wielkopolska including Poznań, where live 630 inhabitants (54.7% of whole population). Poznań which is the capital city of the region is a large urban centre where about 540,000 inhabitants live and which brings together an agglomeration where about 1 million inhabitants is living.

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TRANSPORT

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The location of Wielkopolska has allowed the construction of profitable national and international transport connections. The region is crossed by the A2 highway which connects Warsaw and Berlin. The capital of the region has road connections of highway, expressway and national road standard.

 

Wielkopolska has a very well developed railway network with the total length of 1 878 km. Apart from a large number of small and local lines with railway sidings, the region is crossed by routes of national and international importance. The capital city of the region has a direct railway connection with most of the Polish regional capitals and with the Berlin and the Ruhr district.

 

In Poznań, there is the international Poznań-Ławica Airport (POZ) which services approximately 2 million passengers every year. The airport has modern terminals and cargo. Regular flight connection to Warsaw, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Budapest and Stockholm are regularly provided.

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PEOPLE AND LABOR MARKET

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Population in Wielkopolska: 3 493 577 (GUS, 31.12.2022 r.), of which over a half lives in the cities.

 

In 2021, 19.6% of inhabitants were of pre-working age, 59.4% were of production age and 21% of inhabitants
of Wielkopolska were of post-working age.

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In Wielkopolska, of the total number of people able to work 2.9 % are unemployed persons. (GUS, June 2023). 

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Registered unemployment rate by counties and regions in 2023. (source: GUS)

 

Average employment in the enterprise sector in July 2023 was 858.0 thousand. people, which means a slight decrease compared to the previous month - by 0.1%, and compared to July last year - an increase by 0.6%. The employment structure is invariably dominated by two sections: industrial processing (37.0% of total employment in the enterprise sector) and trade; repair of motor vehicles (33.8%).

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The average monthly gross salary in the enterprise sector in July 2023 was PLN 6,643.65, which means an increase of 1.1% per month, and compared to July last year - an increase of 11.7%. The highest remuneration in July 2023 was received by employees in the following sections: information and communication (69.6% higher than the average monthly remuneration in the enterprise sector), production and supply of electricity, gas, steam and hot water (44.8% higher than the average monthly remuneration in the enterprise sector). % higher than the average) and professional, scientific and technical activities (36.9% higher than the average).

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ECONOMY

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Wielkopolska is one of the most economically developed regions in the country and characterises with a high concentration of involved foreign capital. The economic situation in the region is a consequence of balanced development with a significant industrialisation level and a high technology level.

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In 2020, Wielkopolska Region generated 10% of Polish GDP.

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The group of entities with foreign capital in the Wielkopolska Region in 2020 amounted to 1,948 units and accounted for 8.4% of all entities of this type in the country (4th place, after the Masovian, Silesian and Lower Silesian voivodeships). At the end of 2020, the core capital of entities with foreign capital amounted to PLN 25,049.5 million. This gives Wielkopolska Region the second place in the country.

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The largest companies investing in Wielkopolska Region include representatives of the following industries:

• automotive (Volkswagen, Bridgestone, Solaris Bus&Coach, Inter Groclin),

• food (Kompania Piwowarska, Imperial Tobbaco Polska, Dino, WrigleyPoland Sp. z o.o., Nestle),

• logistics and transport (Amazon, Raben Group, Kuehne + Nagel),

• electronic (Samsung Electronics),

• BPO/SSC (Arvato Services, Contact Center, Holicon, Franklin Templeton),

• pharmaceutical and cosmetics(GK GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Nivea),

• aviation (Pratt&Whitney Kalisz Sp. z o.o.).

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Poznań is a large center for BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and SSC (Shared Services Centers) services. At the same time, the priority sectors for the capital of the region are technologically advanced production, research and development (R&D), congress and exhibition activities and recreational and entertainment infrastructure. Most of the foreign capital invested in Poznań comes from Germany, Great Britain, the USA, France, Japan and Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and South Africa.

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EDUCATION

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In the 2021/22 school year, 597 schools for youth conducted educational activities at the post-primary level. This number included 168 first-cycle vocational schools, 19 second-cycle vocational schools, 194 general secondary schools, 160 technical schools, 50 special schools preparing for work and 6 general art schools providing vocational qualifications. A total of 151.4 thousand students were educated in these schools. students.

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Poznań, one of the largest academic centers in the country, is home to 25 universities. Among them, the University of Adam Mickiewicz University, where nearly 40,000 students study, the Poznań University of Technology, the University of Economics, the University of Life Sciences and the Medical University. There are over 120,000 students studying throughout Wielkopolska Region, which constituted 10.2% of all students in Poland and placed the Wielkopolska Region in third place after the Masovian and Lesser Poland Voivodeships. In addition to Poznań, universities are located in Gniezno, Kalisz, Konin, Leszno, Piła and Środa Wielkopolska.

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In 2021, a total of 30.1 thousand graduates obtained higher education diplomas (first-cycle, second-cycle and long-cycle master's studies).

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AGRICULTURE

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One of the advantages of the Wielkopolska Region is its very well-developed agriculture. The region is a leader in food production in Poland. Two-thirds of the voivodeship's area, i.e. nearly 1.9 million hectares, is agricultural land.

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In July 2023, the purchase of basic cereals (with cereal mixtures without seed) from producers in Wielkopolska Region amounted to a total of 104.3 thousand. tons and increased compared to the previous month by 9.2%, while on an annual basis it decreased by 4.0%.

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In the period January-July 2023, producers from the voivodeship delivered a total of 403.4 thousand. tons of slaughter animals (in warm post-slaughter weight), i.e. 20.3% less than in the same period last year. During this time, the purchase of live pigs decreased by 27.7%, slaughter poultry by 15.1%, and the supply of live beef (including veal) decreased by 7.4%.

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Producers paid an average of PLN 81.36 per 1 dt for basic cereal grain purchased in July 2023, i.e. 6.9% less than in the previous month and 42.5% less than a year ago. Price of 1 kg of live beef in purchasing in July this year. amounted to PLN 9.93, i.e. 4.9% lower than a month ago and 8.6% lower than last year's price. At that time, the price for 1 kg of live poultry was PLN 6.17, i.e. 2.8% more than in June this year, but 9.3% less than in July last year. The price of live pigs was PLN 9.43 per 1 kg, which means a decrease of 1.6% per month and an increase of 28.5% compared to July last year.

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Every year, Wielkopolska Region hosts the country's largest event promoting Polish agriculture - the POLAGRA International Agricultural and Industrial Fair. Each year, approximately two thousand exhibitors from nearly 35 countries participate in them, and the number of visitors annually is approximately 200,000 people.

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TOURISM

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The Wielkopolska Regon is located in lowland areas, in the basin of three rivers: Warta, Noteć and Prosna. Beautiful landscapes, rich in lakes, forests and hills, invite tourists to active recreation. The full tourist offer is available at wielkopolska.travel.

 

The Wielkopolska Tourist Organization, which brings together representatives of local governments, the tourism industry and associations operating in the field of tourism and culture, is responsible for creating and promoting the image of the Wielkopolska Region as a region attractive to tourists.

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The tourist accommodation base in the Wielkopolska REgion as of July 31, 2022 included 581 facilities, i.e. 3 (0.5%) less than a year ago, including 458 year-round facilities. Taking into account the standard of accommodation services provided, the accommodation base consisted of 299 hotel facilities (including 213 hotels) and 282 other facilities (including, among others, 56 agritourism accommodation, 37 holiday resorts and 30 tourist cottage complexes and 29 training and training centers recreational areas).

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Source of data: Statistical Office in Poznań

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