Search Corporation: A design engineer earns 700 euros on average

The employees of design and consulting firm Search Corporation earn 700 euros per month on average, 40% more than at the start of 2007, after increased competition on the market bolstered salaries.
“Last year, we increased the average salary by around 40%, to 700 euros a month. However, the level still falls short from matching the salaries paid in other countries. In the West, and even in Poland, salaries are around 70 to 100% higher,” Michael Stanciu, CEO and sole shareholder of Search Corporation, one of the largest local players on the road and infrastructure design market, told ZF.
The design company posted a 16 million-euro turnover last year – almost double against the 8.8 million euros derived in 2006, however, Stanciu forecasts a less spectacular growth rate for this year. Recently the local design market has been swamped by a flood of infrastructure projects, launched primarily by central administration institutions such as the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Environment.
“It is true that many projects have been announced, and there is a great deal of pressure. Consider the fact that we are using the same road network as we were in the 90s, whilst traffic has increased exponentially. Moreover, the average number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants stands at 250, but we still target the Western European average of 700-800 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants,” explained Stanciu.
The Ministry of Transport has announced that it will auction lease contracts for over 1,400-km of highway in the coming years, with an initial estimated value of around 4.7 billion euros, more than the ministry’s overall annual budget. At present, there is no single company on the local market experienced enough to develop such large projects independently. However, according to the head of Search Corporation, foreign companies that receive contracts are obliged to subcontract, and make use of domestic knowledge and labour.