Introduction
Slovakia, also officially known as the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic had a severe impact on citizens and the economy of Slovakia in the year 2020.
Slovakia handled the situation very well and is trying to fall back in place. The country is implementing new policies and educating its population to avail more employment opportunities.
Overview of Slovakia
Population- 5,743,925 million (2024)
GDP: 210.75 billion USD (2024)
Economic Overview
While Slovakia's economy is termed as growing, it is expected to increase by 1.3% in 2023, before an upsurge in 2024. Economic activity is projected to increase in the second half of 2023 which will support export growth. Due to government's intervention in mitigating the rising energy prices for households and organizations in the first quarter of 2023, Slovakia did not experience the effect of the global energy prices surge.
Market Expansion
According to Statista Digital Market Outlook, markets in Slovakia are expected to continue growing over the next few years. The compound annual growth rate predicted for the market of Slovakia for the next four years is 5%.
A brief glimpse of industries
- Slovakia has stable policies for macroeconomics which makes the country more attractive for U.S exporters to do business.
- The major domains of the Slovakia market are Engineering, electronics, automation, service, tourist industries.
- The automotive industry of Slovakia remains a major source for deficit financing and growth of export through inflows of foreign direct investment.
- Even after the disruption of foreign and domestic demand in Slovakia due to the covid-19 pandemic, the country has strong economic growth.
- More focus on strengthening the population’s skills in Slovakia to generate more employment, boost productivity, and make the country’s economy more resilient.
Cost of living
Living in a country depends on many factors like the state, location, area, utilities, policies of that area, etc. The cost of living in Slovakia is also based on these factors. But the main factor of living in a country is always the location. The following table gives information about the cost of living in Slovakia:
Category Area of Expense Estimated Monthly Cost (EUR)
Category |
Area of expense |
Estimated Monthly Cost (Euro) |
Rental |
Hostels, PGs, Shared flats, and single accommodation |
€ 400-600 |
Food and beverage |
Household groceries and House helps |
€ 100-150 |
Transport costs |
Bus train and metro |
€ 10-25 |
Utilities and miscellaneous |
water, electricity, gas, wi-fi, telephone |
€ 100-170 |
Salary Structure for various roles
The following table shows the average salary structure for various sectors in Slovakia:
Working Areas |
Average gross monthly salary by survey in EUR |
Administration |
€ 1,137 |
Agriculture, Food Industry |
€ 1,097 |
Arts & Culture |
€ 1,067 |
Banking |
€ 1,659 |
Car Industry |
€ 1,410 |
Chemical Industry |
€1,185 |
Commerce |
€ 1,301 |
Construction and Real Estate |
€1,453 |
Customer Support |
€ 1,326 |
Economy, Finance, Accountancy |
€1,445 |
Education, Science & Research |
€ 1,113 |
Electrical & Power Engineering |
€ 1,401 |
General labor |
€ 831 |
Human Resources |
€ 1,480 |
Information Technology |
€ 2,125 |
Insurance |
€ 1,466 |
Journalism, Printing Arts & Media |
€1,202 |
Law & Legislation |
€ 1,717 |
Management |
€ 2,096 |
Leasing |
€ 2,066 |
Marketing, Advertising, PR |
€ 1,467 |
Mechanical Engineering |
€1,311 |
Medicine & Social Care |
€ 1,157 |
Mining, Metallurgy |
€ 1,390 |
Pharmaceutical Industry |
€ 1,549 |
Production |
€ 1,246 |
Public Administration, Self-governance |
€ 1,416 |
Quality Management |
€ 1,521 |
Security & Protection |
€1,467 |
Service Industries |
€ 1,073 |
Technology, Development |
€ 1,603 |
Telecommunications |
€ 1,793 |
Textile, Leather, Apparel Industry |
€ 806 |
Top Management |
€ 3,731 |
Tourism, Gastronomy, Hotel Business |
€ 1,054 |
Translating, interpreting |
€ 1,373 |
Transport, Haulage, Logistics |
€ 1,170 |
Water Management, Forestry, Environment |
€ 1,182 |
Wood Processing Industry |
€ 1,071 |
Cost of renting
The average cost of renting a single apartment or a PG, hostels, shared flats in Slovakia is around 400-600 Euros. The cost of the rent also depends on the standard of living and the location of the apartment.
Cost of living based on lifestyle and location in Slovakia
Type of Apartment |
Average Rent (EUR) |
Range |
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
471.61 € |
343.33-700.00 |
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
378.05 € |
500.00-1,200.00 |
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
748.14 € |
$660 ~ $2,000 |
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
606.70 € |
353.33-950.00 |
The top sectors expected to hire in Slovakia in 2024
S.No |
Industrial Sector |
Growth Percentage in terms of hiring and revenue |
1 |
Agriculture and mining |
-3.1 |
2 |
Manufacture of food, beverages, and tobacco |
15.9 |
3 |
Manufacture of textile, apparel, and leather |
-1.6 |
4 |
Manufacture of wood, paper, furniture, and other manufacturing |
1.8 |
5 |
Printing, manufacture of petroleum products, chemicals |
6.7 |
6 |
Manufacture of metals and metal products |
-2.5 |
7 |
Manufacture of computers, electronics, machinery |
0.7 |
8 |
Manufacture of motor vehicles |
7.9 |
9 |
Utilities and waste management |
11.9 |
10 |
Construction |
7.8 |
11 |
Wholesale |
10.0 |
12 |
Retail trade |
4.1 |
13 |
Logistics and communication |
14.3 |
14 |
Financial services |
41.1 |
15 |
Hotels and restaurants |
26.4 |
16 |
Computer/information and other non-public services |
12.2 |
17 |
Education |
-11.7 |
18 |
Public services |
3.6 |
19 |
Healthcare and social services |
24.2 |
Top Skills in Slovakia
The service sector in Slovakia has grown over the past few years and is now employing almost 69% of the population of Slovakia and majorly contributes to the country’s GDP. Slovakia is focusing on skilling its population to increase employment in various sectors and boost productivity. The types of skills given are based on the importance of a particular city and its dominant sector.
The following are the major industries hiring in Slovakia:
- Automotive
- Chemical Industry
- Mechanical Engineering
- ICT
- BPO and shared services
- Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences
Top Skills City-wise Occupation-wise
Bratislava is the wealthiest region of Slovakia and contributes 26% to the GDP of the country. Around 75% of the population of Bratislava works in service sectors like telecommunication, IT, tourism, banking. The famous Volkswagen factory is located in Bratislava.
Košice is another economic hub of Slovakia located on the eastern side and contributes 9% to the country’s GDP. It is the second-largest employer in Slovakia, with around 13,500 employees working in the steel mill and other IT solutions. Other major sectors in Kosice are:
- Services
- Food Industry
- Trade
- Mechanical Engineering
- Information and communication technologies
Prešov is the third-largest city in Slovakia and is known for its business centers in the country. It is also one of the major tourist attractions. Thus, the tourism industry provides the most occupation here.
Žilina is the fourth largest city in Slovakia and is considered an important industrial area. The city is known for its construction and retail centers. The biggest employer present in the city is Kia motors which is a Korean car company. Other sectors present in Zilina are
- Constructions
- Transportation Engineering Industry
- Chemical Industry
- Textile mills
Hiring Cost
An important step in the hiring process is to determine the cost of hiring an employee. It depends on various factors like overall expenditure, cost of living, and many other factors such as cost of:
- Onboarding employees
- Training the employees
- Other miscellaneous costs
Employment Laws in Slovakia
- The Labor Code governs the employment relationship legislation in Slovakia.
- To establish employment relations between the employee and the employer, an agreement has to be drafted and signed by mutual agreement.
- The Labour code determines three types of contract work: activity contract, work performance contract, temporary student contract.
- A contract between the employee and the employer should agree on the following specifications that are to be mentioned in the written contract:
- Place of work
- Job Description
- Date of commencement of employment
- Salary (unless the agreement has been agreed in collective bargaining).
- An employee must be aware of regulations on safety, health, work, and collective agreement offered by the employer.
- It is illegal for an employer to employ people without establishing proper employment relationships.
- Two types of contracts exist in Slovakia as per the Labour Code. They are definite and indefinite contracts. The Labour Law is more aligned towards the definite contract period.
- A new employee is entitled to a probationary period of three months. The period may extend up to six months for certain managerial positions.
- Employees are entitled to some cash and non-cash benefits during their terms of employment.A new employee is entitled to a probationary period of three months. The period may extend up to six months for certain managerial positions.
Slovakia Remote Hiring Trends 2024
Slovakia's economy is expected to experience a 1.3% increase in 2023. Along with Slovakia’s growing economy comes an increase in information and communications technology (ICT) workers who are in-demand candidates for remote positions. Slovaks are in-demand by international companies since being ranked the 16th-best country in the world for remote work.the economy is projected to grow by 2.3% after bouncing back from a regression in 2020. Along with Slovakia’s growing economy comes an increase in information and communications technology (ICT) workers who are in-demand candidates for remote positions. Slovaks are in-demand by international companies since being ranked the 16th-best country in the world for remote work.
Top Tech Roles in Slovakia
In 2023, Slovakia is a haven for sourcing information technology (IT) workers. The nation has reached an IT export of $2.5 billion USD. As the information and communications technology (ICT) sector makes up a large portion of the economy, certain IT positions are needed as the industry expands. The most in-demand tech job titles in Slovakia are:
- IT Specialist
- Programmer
- IT Technician
- Sales Representative
- Marketing Manager
- Software Engineer
Some top tech companies hiring IT employees in Slovakia include:
- HP
- Accenture
- Microsoft
- Dell
- Lenovo
- Oracle
Foreign companies that hire employees in Slovakia enjoy lower labor costs, and Slovaks benefit from the wages that allow for a higher quality of life. For example, the annual salary for a software engineer in Slovakia is $28,558– much lower than the average salary of $87,795 for the same role in the United States.
Recruiting methods
The most popular recruiting method in 2024 is recruiting candidates through online job boards. The top online job boards for hiring in Slovakia are:
- Profesis.sk
- Careerjet.sk
- Praca.sme.sk
- Kariéra.Zoznam.sk
How Can Skuad Help You In Hiring in Slovakia?
The hiring process in Slovakia is a multi-task that requires city-wise living costs, in-depth knowledge of the laws, trends, hiring costs, and more. Skuad solution is a one-stop solution for hiring employees and handling every aspect of the recruitment process. Skuad solutions Iets you focus on your project gives you the freedom to plan and expand your business without exerting any stress on the hiring process. Connect with Skuad Experts to know more.