Live and work in Slovenia

Slovenia LIVE AND WORK

Slovenia is a European country geographically located in the far north of the Mediterranean and the far south of Central Europe. Its neighbouring countries are Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. The land area is 20,273km² and places Slovenia among the medium-sized European countries. Slovenia also has a 46.6km long coastline on the Adriatic Sea.

Population: 2,080,908 (2019, source: https://www.stat.si/statweb)

The capital of Slovenia is the city of Ljubljana. It was the proud recipient of the European Green Capital 2016 title. Slovenians are very proud of their highest mountain peak of Triglav (2864m). Slovenia has been a member of the European Union since 2004. The official currency is the euro (EUR).
SOURCE: https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenija, https://www.slovenia.info/sl/potovalni-nacrt/spoznajte-slovenijo, https://www.gov.si/en/policies/

 

 Country places in Slovenia

Country, places, traffic:

Find out about the top sights you need to see in Slovenia: https://www.slovenia.info/sl/destinacije/znamenitosti
Other major cities: Maribor, Kranj, Celje, Koper, Novo mesto, Velenje, Murska Sobota.

Climate: Alpine, Pannonian, Mediterranean

In Slovenia, you can use public transport (bus, train), bicycle, taxi or a personal vehicle you need a valid driving licence for.
SOURCE: https://www.stat.si/statweb in https://infotujci.si/

 

 Working hours in Slovenia

Working hours in Slovenia:

According to the Employment Relationships Act, full-time working hours may not exceed 40 hours per week in Slovenia. Working hours are spread over five days a week and should not be less than four days a week. Work of at least 36 hours a week is also considered full-time. The exception is some jobs where there is a greater risk of injury or health damage.

If there is an uneven distribution of working hours, the employee may not work more than 56 hours per week. However, the employer must respect the right to rest, which is 12 hours between two working days over a period of 24 hours. An employee is also entitled to be paid extra for overtime, night work or working on a public holiday. However, this kind of payment is determined by the collective agreement at the sector level. Each full-time employee also has a right to a 30-minute break. In the case of a part-time work—4 hours a day—the employee is entitled to a 15-minute break. The length of the break is determined in proportion to the length of working time. From now on, employers will have to record each employee's working hours.
SOURCE: https://data.si/blog/2017/11/28/delovni-cas/ in http://evem.gov.si/info/poslujem/zaposlovanje/delovni-cas/

 

 Maternity Slovenia

Maternity and maternity leave in Slovenia

Maternity leave starts 28 days before the scheduled date of delivery and lasts 105 days. After maternity leave, parental leave takes place for another 260 days and is intended for a mother or a father for his / her full or partial absence from work. A part of parental leave, up to a maximum of 75 days, can be transferred and used by either parent until the child finishes the first elementary school grade.

Fathers can also take paternity leave of 30 calendar days after the baby is born. Other persons caring for the child after birth are also eligible. All these rights are exercised at the social work centre where the mother-to-be has a declared place of residence. Upon the birth of a child, parents receive a financial support intended for the purchase of newborn equipment. The right to a lump sum is granted to every newborn baby, at least one parent of whom has permanent residence in the Republic of Slovenia and also lives here. Until the child is three years old, one parent is entitled to part-time employment (at least 20 hours per week). In this case, the social security contributions—from a proportionate part of the minimum wage to a full-time employment—are paid by the State.
SOURCE: https://www.gov.si/teme/pravice-ob-rojstvu-otroka/

 

 Health care in Slovenia_2

Health care and sick leave in Slovenia

Sick leave is the right of every employee. However, it is the duty of the employee to inform the employer. The employee must arrange a sick leave certificate for the period of a sickness absence which is obtained from his / her personal doctor. During a longer sick leave (more than 30 days), the salary is covered by health insurance, while a period of less than 30 days is paid by the employer.
SOURCE: https://data.si/blog/2016/04/19/odsotnost-z-dela/

 

 Country places traffic in Slovenia

How to find an apartment, home, staying in Slovenia

You can rent or buy an apartment in Slovenia through real estate agents—there are quite a few. A list is available at the following link: >> https://www.realestate-slovenia.info/nepremicninske-agencije.html

You can also search for properties on various websites advertised by agencies or private sellers (https://www.realestate-slovenia.info/, https://www.sloveniaestates.com/). You can also find real estate ads in print media, online portals (https://nepremicnine.delo.si/) or on social networks (https://www.facebook.com/groups/195726830526565/).

Citizens of the Republic of Slovenia are offered non-profit housing for renting if they have lower or middle income. The apartments are offered by municipalities and non-profit organisations.

‘Refugees Welcome’ is an online platform allowing locals to connect with refugees. They can share their housing with them so that refugees are faster integrated in a new society.
SOURCE: http://si.danubecompass.org/archives/situations/iskanje-nepremicnin?lang=sl

 

 Work areas in Slovenia

Presentation of areas of work in Slovenia

  • Administration (business secretary, administrator, secretary, clerk, etc.)
  • Electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications (maintenance, repairer, electrical installations, development engineer, installer, operator, etc.)
  • Informatics, programming (developer, programmer, informatics, systems analyst, IT technician, systems engineer, etc.)
  • Commercial, marketing (sales specialist, salesman, key account manager, promoter, marketer, call centre associate, etc.)
  • Marketing, advertising, PR (marketing assistant, graphic designer, website optimisation, Facebook specialist, social networks editor, etc.)
  • Law, social sciences (legal services associate, judge, lawyer, etc.)
  • Accounting, auditing (bookkeeper, accountant, controller, actuary, accounting analyst, accounting clerk, etc.)
  • Teaching, translation, culture, sport (TV production organiser, education manager, translator, cameraman, teacher, etc.)
  • Commerce (seller, online seller, cashier, commodity manipulator, consultant, online store assistant, pawn shop associate, etc.)
  • Science, technology, research and development (technologist, development associate, operator, engineer, etc.)
  • Architecture, construction, geodetic engineering (bricklayer, construction foreman, heating and plumbing engineer, roofer, body shop mechanic, ceramicist, plasterboard wall mounting worker, painter, etc.)
  • Pharmacy, natural sciences (researcher in particle design and synthesis, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologist, QA manager at a pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical technician, laboratory worker, etc.)
  • Human resources (recruiter, HR process organiser, HR business partner, etc.)
  • Creative, design (photo-store worker - media technician - photographer, graphic designer, etc.)
  • Journalism, media, publishing (journalist, printer, writer, cameraman, etc.)
  • Food and agricultural industry (chef, baker, grocery store worker, foodstuffs packing worker, foodstuffs production worker, confectioner, etc.)
  • Social and voluntary work (various voluntary work in the social, educational, health, cultural fields, etc.)
  • Technical services, mechanics (car mechanic, car body repair, service operative, maintenance engineer, etc.)
  • Insurance, real estate (insurance agent, independent advisor for claims, real estate broker, etc.)
  • Banking, finance (controlling specialist, accounting technician, accounting analyst, finance assistant, leasing advisor, controller / calculator, personal investment advisor, etc.)
  • Catering business, tourism (waiter, maid, hotel receptionist, dishwasher, barman, masseur, etc.)
  • Agronomy, forestry, fisheries, veterinary (florist, agricultural technician, veterinarian, tractor driver, garden department consultant, etc.)
  • Management, business consulting, organisation (director, manager, event organiser, process organiser, project manager, etc.)
  • Personal services, security (security technician, cleaner, personal assistant, car wash worker, etc.)
  • Manufacturing, woodworking, glassmaking (production worker, woodworker, glassmaker, etc.)
  • Mechanical engineering, metallurgy, mining (mechatronics, machine maintenance, technologist, CNC operator, locksmith, robot programmer, welder, grinder, galvaniser, PLC programmer, etc.)
  • Transport, procurement, logistics (logistics clerk, driver, forklift driver, warehouse employee, dispatch worker, customs declarant, commission agent, consignor of goods, disponent, etc.)
  • Healthcare, nursing (nurse, doctor, physiotherapist, dentist, masseur, beautician, etc.)
  • Other (jobs other than any of the above categories; e.g. washer - cleaner, ski lift operator, postman, optician, etc.)

 Standard tax rates in Slovenia

Standard tax rates in Slovenia

All taxes (including social security contributions), customs duties, excise duties and value added tax on imports are the responsibility of the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia. An overview of standard tax rates in Slovenia is available here.
SOURCE: http://evem.gov.si/info/poslujem/davki/

 

 

 Job search in Slovenia

Looking for a job in Slovenia

There are several ways to look for employment in Slovenia. Various job portals can be used, sign up as a job seeker at the Employment Service of Slovenia, cooperate with a personnel agency, check social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram…), follow publications in newspapers or on the radio, ask acquaintances if they know anyone who is recruiting, etc.

This year, the Optius career portal organised its first online career fair in March 2019, where employers and jobseekers connected virtually to present a new effective way of finding employment and recruiting.

 

 Work Permit Application In Slovenia

How to get a job in Slovenia as a foreigner and what the conditions are

The first condition for a foreigner who wants to work in Slovenia is to have a work permit. This is regulated by the Employment Service of Slovenia: Contact: +386 (0)1 330 81 20 or visit https://www.ess.gov.si/tujci. Once you have obtained a work permit and the rest, you can find vacancies on our Optius career portal.

 

 

 Salary in Slovenia

Salary in Slovenia

The average gross salary in July 2019 was EUR 1,737.42. It was higher than the average gross earning in the previous month, by 1.1% in nominal terms and by 1.8% in real terms. On average, the highest salaries were paid to employees in the financial and insurance sector.
SOURCE: https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/News/Index/8354

 

 

 Establishing a company in Slovenia

Establishing a company in Slovenia

Before establishing a business, you need to decide on the company form that will best suit your business. You can quickly and easily set up a simple business form from home, on the e-VEM (SPOT) portal, which requires a digital certificate or required equipment, or at one of the SPOT points.
SOURCE: http://evem.gov.si/info/zacenjam/zelim-ustanoviti-podjetje/

 

 Sole proprietor in Slovenia

Who is a sole proprietor and how does one establish this form of doing business in Slovenia?

A sole proprietor (s.p.) is a natural person who independently performs a gainful activity in the market within an organised company. Registration of an s.p. is simple and does not demand share capital. This doesn’t mean, however, that a sole proprietor does not need share capital. Consideration should be given to how much responsibility an entrepreneur is prepared to bear, as he or she, as an economic operator, has unlimited liability with all his or her assets. A sole proprietor is an individual, and more than one person can only operate in the form of a company. Slovenian legislation, therefore, doesn’t know the community of sole proprietors.

You gain sole proprietor status by entry in the Business Register of Slovenia (Poslovni register Slovenije; PRS)The Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES) manages and makes decisions—within the Business Register of Slovenia—regarding the process of enrolment of an entrepreneur, changes of data and termination of the activity of an entrepreneur.

A sole proprietor is not a legal person. The s.p. is liable for operating obligations with his / her personal property. Namely, the Companies Act (ZGD-1) doesn’t distinguish between corporate and personal property.
SOURCE: http://evem.gov.si/info/zacenjam/zelim-ustanoviti-podjetje/poslovne-oblike-podjetij/samostojni-podjetnik/

 

 

Foreigners and sole proprietor

In accordance with the Aliens Act covering employment, self-employment and work of foreign citizens, a foreigner only needs to obtain a tax code in the Republic of Slovenia. However, it is necessary to consider the fact that self-employment means compulsory inclusion in social insurance, which requires obtaining a single self-employment permit (or temporary residence permit). The procedure for obtaining a single permit shall be managed by the competent Administrative Unit.

Foreign nationals who are EU, EEA (European Economic Area) or Swiss Confederation citizens have free access to the Slovenian labour market. They register as sole proprietors, and at the time of registration submit a valid identity document, a Slovenian tax number, and a certified statement from the facility owner. Before registering for compulsory social insurance, a foreigner is obliged to obtain a Slovenian personal registration number. Establishing s.p. in principle takes 3 steps. Start by registering in the Business Register of Slovenia, and then with the Financial Administration and for compulsory social insurance.
SOURCE: http://evem.gov.si/info/zacenjam/zelim-ustanoviti-podjetje/poslovne-oblike-podjetij/samostojni-podjetnik/

 

 

Incentives for entrepreneurship in Slovenia

Financial forms of aid

Financial forms of aid are available to a company through various actions of ministries, public funds, public agencies and other institutions in the form of non-grant and grant financial aid. The types of non-grant aid are loans and guarantees as well as recapitalisation funds in the form of venture capital that are available in particular for the expansion and internationalisation of businesses. The types of grants include in particular subsidies for starting new innovative businesses and incentives for the self-employed. The incentives for the self-employed and the funds for starting new innovative businesses are available mainly in the form of subsidies, while the incentives for economic boost and internationalisation are predominantly in the form of non-grant funds.

Non-financial (indirect) forms of aid

Non-financial or indirect state aid is very diverse in Slovenia.
SOURCE: http://evem.gov.si/info/razmisljam/spodbude-za-podjetnistvo/

 

 

Additional information

Animated video of the company Moja zaposlitev d.o.o.