- 95 countries in Slovenia are undergoing labour shortages
- Some of the affected industries in Slovenia are hospitality, healthcare manufacturing, education, construction
- The number of foreign workers in Slovenia has increased in the past years, describing 15 % of the total workforce in 2023
- Most of the work permits were granted to workers from Western Balkan countries like Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
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Slovenia Needs Foreign Workers
Slovenia has been recognized as the largest country for labour shortages. Hospitality, cleaning, manufacturing, healthcare, IT, engineering, construction, and education are some industries affected by labour shortages. Although labour shortages have become a challenge to the country’s economy, there are work opportunities for many foreign workers willing to work in Slovenia. This means those with the most in-demand jobs in Slovenia will have a higher chance of getting a Slovenian visa.
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20 jobs facing shortages in Slovenia
- Chefs, cooks, kitchen helpers and related food preparers
- Physiotherapists
- Painters and related workers
- Plumbers and pipe fitters
- Building construction labourers
- Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
- Dentists
- Machine operators (for different types of products)
- Teachers (for different levels of education)
- Engineers (of different fields)
- Software developers
- Security guards
- Professional drivers
- Toolmakers and related workers
- Welders and flame cutters
- Forestry and related workers
- Health care assistants
- Nursing associate professionals
- Generalist/Specialist medical practitioners
- Applications programmers
Slovenia is Facing Labour Shortages
Slovenia's labour ministry has also confirmed the country's labour shortages. As mentioned in the Slovenia Times in April 2024, the Ministry of Labour also noted the importance of foreign workers in maintaining the country's standard of living.
The country's need for a foreign workforce has also been shown in the increasing number of foreign workers. Slovenia registered about 920,000 workers as of January 2024. Out of these, 15% were foreigners, up from 14% in January 2023.
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Western Balkans workers are more in Slovenian labour market
The number of foreign workers has increased rapidly since 2016, except during the Covid-19 pandemic. Slovenia granted 16,300 work permits in 2016 and 48,440 work permits in 2022. Most work permits were granted to workers from Western Balkan countries, such as North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Serbia. Almost 15,000 work permits were granted to workers from Kosovo in 2016. Most work permits were granted for construction, transport, manufacturing, hospitality, warehousing, and agriculture sectors.
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