As the economic situation in Slovakia has been improving, employers are having trouble filling positions and are calling for a more flexible migration policy to help them employ workers from outside the EU. But although relevant actors (employers, social partners and government) are aware of the situation, access to the labour market for third-country nationals remains complicated, lengthy and costly.

A recent study by the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS) shows that employment of foreigners is over-bureaucratised due to lack of flexibility in regulations. According to the study, the administrative process lasts longer than in other countries. Administrative costs for employment, which are borne by migrants, are also higher than in other EU countries.

The INESS study further emphasises that employers have problems both with a shortage of labour supply and with an aging population. However, third-country nationals can only exceptionally take over positions from local workers. They also tend to work in relatively unattractive positions. Limitations in employment of third-country nationals negatively affects less developed regions, where migrant workers present an opportunity for economic growth.

The government reacted to the growing demand for migrant labour by simplifying legislation and making access for third-country nationals easier from May 2018. However, barriers persist. For example, the simplified conditions require that the unemployment rate be below 5%. Thus, it is applicable only in certain parts of the country.

The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family has now prepared a new Strategy on Labour Mobility of Foreigners in Slovakia, which was adopted by the government on 10 October 2018. The strategy calls for various temporary measures to make employment of third-country nationals easier. The strategy also envisions updating the key strategic documents in Slovakia related to migration and integration—the Migration Policy of the Slovak Republic with an Outlook to 2020 and the Integration Policy of the Slovak Republic—as they were prepared in a different social, economic and political context.

Read the INESS study