Slovenia Needs Foreign Workers – Up to Two Thousand Expected from Croatia

As of the end of June this year, Slovenia had 75,000 registered unemployed persons, the state employment service announced on Wednesday.

In the first half of this year, the number of unemployed registered with the service is down by an average of 14 percent compared to last year, which is one of the lowest rates of registered unemployment in recent years, attributed to high growth rates over the past few years and the revitalization of the labor market, which increasingly relies on workers from neighboring countries, as well as third countries outside the EU.

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Since the beginning of this month, interested Croatian citizens can now enter the Slovenian labor market without needing a work permit and are treated equally to citizens of other EU member states. According to employer associations’ expectations, between one thousand and two thousand of them could come to Slovenia in the next three years.

The focus is primarily on daily migrants from border regions in specific professions and trades in industry, construction, and transport, with welders and drivers being particularly sought after.

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There is also high demand in Slovenia for healthcare personnel and for work in hospitality and tourism, although it is assessed that few will choose to work in Slovenia due to restrictions such as the requirement for knowledge of Slovenian for doctors and nurses, as well as the high seasonal demand for tourism personnel on the Croatian coast.