Nearshoring means moving activities not to the other side of the world, but to a nearby country with lower costs. For companies from the DACH region, Serbia is one of the most attractive options. With tens of thousands of people employed by German-speaking firms, it is no longer an insider tip.
What speaks for Serbia
- Costs: significantly lower labour and operating costs with solid productivity.
- Proximity: same to one hour time difference, short flights, overlapping working hours.
- Talent: a strong IT, engineering and industrial base, good English and often German.
- Framework: low taxes, free-trade agreements, state incentives for investors.
Where the pitfalls are
The location is good. Yet market entry rarely fails because of strategy, but because of execution: authorities in Serbian, recruiting, culture, and the question of who actually leads in the first months. Underestimate that and you lose time and the team’s trust.
Our approach: first soberly assess whether Serbia fits, then accompany the entry from site selection to running operations, if needed with a bilingual interim manager on the ground, until the local team is in place.