Artificial intelligence has changed the rules of the game. There is no question of IT “Eldorado”. – The word “Eldorado” is exaggerated today. Even if we look at the number of companies or the rate of employment growth in the technology sector, it clearly slows down – says Michał Gdak, Director of Research and Development AI in Snowflake – a company dealing with data analysis worth $ 70 billion. In his opinion, the first who consume AI Benefits are those who created it. – They generated so much data that they now use the effects of this revolution themselves. As a result, Entry Level Jobs, i.e. junior positions, are difficult to get today. Typical work at the level of an intern or younger programmer is increasingly doing AI tools, such as Github Copilot or Cursor – he says.
Only five years ago it was enough to announce yourself on the web to get several job offers almost immediately. Today the market is beyond recognition. – If you are an experienced engineer with a large experience and specialization, then you still have no problem finding a job, but for beginners the situation is much more difficult – emphasizes Gdak.
Global trend of cuts and automation
The changes do not apply only to Poland. – It's a global trend. In the United States, the market is shrinking – Google, the finish slow, Microsoft limits employment. Companies focus on efficiency, and AI tools allow you to carry out tasks faster and cheaper – explains Gdak. Sam uses AI to save time. – If I have four hours a week for coding, instead of analyzing the code created by the team myself, I can ask AI for a summary and tips. It's a huge time saving. In my team, over 90% of people use such tools – he states.
Macroeconomic uncertainty and more careful investments further limit the rate of employment growth. – Companies invest more carefully, are looking for a real return on investment, not just a rapid increase in employment – adds Gdak.
A clear decline in employment
Pandemic was a period of rapid increase in demand for digital solutions and an explosion of employment in IT. Today the situation has reversed. – The pace of employment did not even return to the level before the pandemic. I recently watched the chart: if 100 percent This is the level of employment before Pandemia, after Cavida it jumped at over 200 percent to fall to about 60 percent today. There is a clear decline – sums up Gdak.
Meanwhile, American Snowflake focused on Poland. There is a largest research and development center outside the USA in Warsaw. – The availability of talent, the level of education of engineers and the growing market maturity decided. In Poland, products with global influence are created – 21 new products were announced at the last conference, of which 7 were created in Poland – says Adam Wojtkowski.
Simultaneously Polish programmers are increasingly feeding the ranks of global giants, which is a loss for the country. – Many of them went to work abroad, taking up high positions in Google, OpenAI and other companies. This is a loss for the country, because we invest in education, and the effects of this work are fed by other economies – notes Gdak. Despite this, the pool of talent in Poland remains large, especially in the field of product engineering.
– The best engineers attract interesting projects, a real impact on the product and clarity of goals. In Snowflake, we offer an ambitious scope of tasks that allows you to develop and affect global solutions – says Gdak. The crucial is the constant “grinding” of talents and providing them with development opportunities.
A new wave of your own startups?
Poland has moved from simple BPO services to the advanced R&D. – More and more companies are choosing a similar move. The next stage may be the construction of own companies by experienced engineers, just like in Israel, where startups have become national sport. Capital and know-how are already in Poland, and the availability of investment capital is growing-indicates Wojtkowski.
The market in Poland and the Central Europe region is very dynamic. – The absorption of cloud services in Poland and Romania is higher than the European average. Poland and Hungary are leaders of this height, and Romania is on their heels – emphasizes Wojtkowski.
How can Polish companies compete? – It is crucial to find your own niche and build competences that will stand out from the competition. Global companies have huge resources, but Polish teams can be more flexible, respond faster to changes and better understand the local market. The most important thing is not to be afraid to think globally from the first day – advises Wojtkowski.
