The world of recruitment is constantly evolving and labor market dynamics in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) present unique challenges. The recruiTECH CEE conference, which will be held for the second time in Budapest on May 22-23, 2025, is designed to address the specific characteristics of this region, providing a platform for professionals to share real knowledge with each other. Gábor Toldi, the event's founder, tells us about the background of the conference, shares his inspiration and the challenges facing the recruitment profession.
What inspires you to organize recruiTECH CEE?
Gábor: I believe that the Central and Eastern European region has its own unique characteristics. I attend recruitment-specific conferences in Western Europe about three to four times a year, and I often feel that the examples and case studies presented there are either less applicable or need to be interpreted differently for our region. Additionally, I am convinced that among the 11 countries covered by recruiTECH CEE, there are recruitment professionals who can be leading knowledge-sharers and speakers at any professional event worldwide. This was proven at last year’s event.
Have participants confirmed this?
Gábor: The results of our satisfaction survey and feedback on LinkedIn clearly show that not only is there a place for such an event, but there is a definite need for it. There is plenty of knowledge, experience, and case studies that are worth sharing and relevant from a Central and Eastern European perspective.
Can you give a specific example?
For example, István Martis gave a presentation on how there is a lot of common ground in the labour market, despite linguistic, historical and cultural fragmentation. I could also mention Sándor Baja, who analyzed attitudes toward work and the similarities and differences among candidates in different countries. There is a real justification for regional stakeholders to learn from one another, especially as labor markets in different countries are increasingly merging.
Do you think professionals in recruitment and talent acquisition recognize the importance of learning from colleagues in other countries?
Gábor: I don't think we need to explain or demonstrate that it’s beneficial to learn from each other. What has become evident is that you don’t have to go to London, Amsterdam or Paris to gain high-level knowledge and professional insights. We also have instructive corporate practices and experiences in our region.
In terms of recruitment trends and operations, how similar are different countries across Europe or even worldwide?
Gábor: There are four waves that must be considered. The U.S. still leads in recruitment technology trends. The second wave is the UK market, followed by Western Europe as the third wave, and then finally, Central and Eastern Europe. Previously, these cycles were measured in years, but they have shortened significantly. However, it still takes time for us to adopt new tools and methods. For example, in the U.S., programmatic advertising is already an everyday part of recruitment marketing, and while Western Europe is already discussing it, in Eastern Europe, it is still rarely mentioned.
If you had to highlight one major difference between the Eastern and Western recruitment markets, what would it be?
Gábor: There isn’t just one major difference because, in terms of the labor market, we are in very similar situations. An enormous amount of investment has flowed into the Central and Eastern European region over the past 15 years. At the same time, the region experiences significant workforce migration to Western Europe, and this was already the case before the war in Ukraine. In Romania, for example, IT professionals who work abroad receive tax incentives to encourage them to stay in the country and spend their earnings locally. This is also true for Hungary.
What do you see as the biggest challenge in this regard for 2025?
We are all affected by drastic aging demographics and market differences. Central and Eastern Europe consists of very small markets with highly diverse cultures, social structures, and languages. While our labor markets are as tight as those in the West, and we compete for the same professionals, we suffer from declining birth rates and a shortage of quality labor across all markets. It is increasingly common to recruit talent from neighboring countries—relocating workers from the Czech Republic to Poland, Slovakia to Hungary, or Hungary to Romania is now standard practice.
Is there anything that Central and Eastern Europe does better than Western Europe?
Gábor: We have to create the same value with less money, which means we often develop more creative and practical solutions to problems. At the same time, professionals working for multinational companies in the region struggle with decisions made in Western Europe that do not take local specifics into account, such as language barriers or digital adoption rates. For instance, it is assumed that every blue-collar worker has an email address, but this is still not universal in Eastern Europe.
How does recruiTECH CEE help recruitment and TA professionals?
Gábor: We are creating an event where real knowledge-sharing takes place, and our goal is to share as many case studies and practical insights as possible. We are very proud that attendees come to our events for the knowledge, and they have identified this as their primary motivation. Based on our satisfaction survey, we have been able to deliver on this expectation.
Do you remember the moment when you first had the idea to create recruiTECH CEE?
Gábor: I can’t pinpoint a specific moment. But we have been monitoring the market for years, and I always felt a sense of frustration when meeting Central and Eastern Europeans at Western European events. We are participating, even though we could share just as much valuable knowledge. Instead, we have to travel to Western Europe at great expense to hear discussions that, while focused on industry development and innovation, are not primarily about us. This is what we want to change with recruiTECH CEE.
What was the biggest challenge in launching recruiTECH CEE?
Gábor: Proving that it is possible to create a Western European-standard professional conference in Eastern Europe. We also had to convince our audience and sponsors that there is indeed a strong professional community, motivation for learning and a need for knowledge-sharing in this region. Starting any first event is challenging but those who attended have confirmed and provided feedback on our LinkedIn that we created a much-needed event.
Now that you are organizing the second event, has anything changed in how you approach it?
Gábor: We are receiving a lot of positive reinforcement from partners, speakers and participants which shows us that this is worth doing. Whether discussing group ticket purchases with a company or a speaker bringing their entire team from the CEE region, more and more partners are supporting us. Companies like eJobs in Romania, Alma Media as a regional stakeholder and Pracuj in Poland are backing us. We have also learned that people are happy to come to Budapest but most importantly there is a tremendous demand for us in the region to provide our own knowledge-sharing platform like recruiTECH CEE.
What are the main challenges that recruitment and TA professionals currently face and for which they can find solutions at recruiTECH CEE?
Gábor: The current economic environment and geopolitical situation set clear constraints. These factors influence the general mood and define our immediate challenges. Our Talent Attraction Trends research shows that most companies are looking for technological solutions to make recruitment more efficient. It is also evident that software integrations and data connections are crucial, yet everyone is struggling with tight budget controls. Even if we don’t see full hiring freezes, the process of opening, approving, and filling positions has slowed in most companies. The key question is what solutions local or CEE-based companies will adopt within these constraints. We have good answers to this at recruiTECH CEE.
Can you give an example?
Gábor: Johnny Campbell’s presentation at last year’s recruiTECH CEE was incredibly informative on how recruiters can effectively use free tools like CoPilot or ChatGPT. This is not a matter of budget but of knowledge, intent, and familiarity and our goal is to share such insights at the event.
If you had one sentence to convey to HR leaders, what would it be?
Gábor: Bring your team from the region to recruiTECH CEE and get inspired together. :) Establishing a common platform is crucial for the future. If everyone shares the same perspective and understands the challenges, we stand a better chance of finding better solutions together and recruiTECH CEE is the perfect meeting point for this.
Thank you for the answers Gabor Toldi, the Founder and Main Organiser of recruiTECH CEE!
