The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the decision not to extend the transitional regime under which Croatian citizens needed work permits to work in Slovenia, which means easier employment for them in the Slovenian labor market.
The Chamber stated that the Slovenian economy is increasingly facing a shortage of domestic personnel and the need for labor imports, given the economic recovery in recent years. Therefore, Slovenia will increasingly depend on the employment of foreigners if it wants to maintain the current rates of economic growth, they noted in the Chamber.
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In Slovenia, by the end of last year, according to employer data, 6,345 Croatian citizens were employed, which is slightly more than one-tenth of the total number of employed foreigners from the European Union and third countries.
The Slovenian government proposed to parliament in March this year an additional two-year extension of work permits for Croatian citizens, stating that Croatia has a high unemployment rate and that greater labor imports from the neighboring country, also a member of the European Union, could cause more permanent disruptions in the Slovenian labor market. However, this was abandoned for several reasons, including pressure from employers, so the parliament did not accept the law on restrictions for Croatian job seekers in Slovenia.
