Digital leap in HR – SPAR innovates with artificial intelligence and E-learning

SPAR welcomes its employees with a new career website, a modern recruitment system, and e-learning opportunities.

SPAR Hungary has completely revamped its career website and recruitment processes to reach potential employees more effectively, while maintaining a people-centric approach. The company’s goal is to support both applicants and the HR team with the most advanced technological solutions – whether it’s for applying, selection, or onboarding.

“SPAR Hungary is one of the largest employers in the country, with nearly 14,000 employees. For us, human resources are not merely an operational matter, but a strategic asset. That is why we place special emphasis on ensuring that even the recruitment process reflects the company’s professionalism, people-centric approach, and commitment to innovation. The aim of the newly introduced developments is to engage future employees across the country even faster, more efficiently, and in a more personalised way,” emphasised Ildikó Kállai Szijjné, head of HR at SPAR Hungary.

SPAR’s new career platform offers a user-friendly, clear, and mobile-optimised interface. Applicants can create personalised profiles, set their job search preferences, and receive automatic notifications about opportunities that match their interests. The document upload and application processes have been simplified, and the system ensures continuous communication between applicants and the recruitment team.

The new recruitment software fully digitises HR administration by covering the entire selection process—from position approval to sending out job offers. The system allows for quick, targeted management of job advertisements, real-time tracking of candidates’ statuses, and digital acceptance of offers. This paperless operation not only makes processes more sustainable but also faster and more transparent.

SPAR also integrates cutting-edge technologies into recruitment: AI-supported job advertisements and interactive avatars help authentically showcase the company culture. The AI-driven ads reach candidates in a personalised way, while the avatars provide an engaging experience of the company’s values and daily life.

Focus on digital learning

Internal development efforts at SPAR go beyond recruitment: the company places strong emphasis on employee education and growth. The SPAR Online Academy is a digital platform accessible to all employees. In 2024, our colleagues completed over 65,000 digital learning modules, dedicating a total of more than 34,000 training hours to online learning. Available courses include occupational safety and quality assurance training (machine operation, HACCP), specialised professional training (bakery, meat, fruit and vegetables), IT security courses, soft skills training, onboarding programmes, and even video materials from international collaborations.

The SPAR Online Academy also integrates the mentoring and onboarding programme as well as the Procurement Academy, offering new employees and managers the opportunity to evaluate the training process—thus supporting high-quality integration. Learning-dedicated devices, such as store tablets, are available in every store to ensure access for all staff.

SPAR’s goal is not only to bring employees into the organisation but to foster their long-term development within it. Therefore, the company is expanding its e-learning offerings even further, with particular attention to competency development and incorporating topics raised by employees into the learning materials.