The employment of foreigners is a current topic for 45% of companies in Slovenia. They face a failed search for staff when doing business in Slovenia. If you want to learn in what ways you can employ foreign staff in your company in Slovenia, we have prepared an informative article for you.
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Data d.o.o. has been offering support to foreign citizens with their business in Europe. In addition to company registration services, we also provide professional accounting services. Additionally, we also have specialized legal advisors that support business owners with every aspect of business Slovenian legislation. Also, you can follow us on Facebook.
There are negligibly few foreign citizens who have free access to the labor market and are thus equated with Slovenian citizens which you can directly employ in your company. For most foreign workers, the employers must obtain a single residence and work permit. For citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, they must obtain a work permit. Obtaining an EU Blue Card is possible for highly qualified foreign workers but the most sought-after staff are professions in deficit in Slovenia.
Employment of foreigners and the need for professions in deficit
Due to increasing migrations, employers in Slovenia are also facing a shortage of staff. Hence, the employment of foreigners is becoming more and more important. There is a shortage of workers in professions in deficit. These include: chefs, waiters, cleaners and housekeepers. In the latter, employers most often decide to employ citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia.
The employment of foreigners requires the consent of the Employment office
The Employment Office in Slovenia estimates that more than 11% of the working population in Slovenia are foreign citizens. With the increase in the employment of foreigners, inspections of companies are also increasing. Inspectors pay attention to the proper arrangement of documentation in accordance with the law. If they find violations, they can also impose high fines. In some cases, they may impose a ban on the temporary employment of foreigners in the company that committed the offence. Therefore, it is important that, as an employer who needs a foreign workforce in the company, you know where you can turn for professional help in consulting in this area or in preparing documentation or managing the entire process.
DATA has been offering a comprehensive service to employers who want to hire foreign staff in their company. The companies are advised by experts from several fields (legal, accounting and human resources) or we lead the entire process of obtaining the appropriate permits for you and try to make the process as easy as possible as we take over the whole communication with the institutions. The advantage of DATA is that, due to many years of experience, we know the course of the procedures themselves. The process of obtaining work permits is therefore faster with our help.
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Active business conduct of the company – the basic condition in the employment of foreigners
An employer whose goal is to employ foreign staff must first meet the basic condition. They have to prove the active business conduct of the company. This is done in one of three ways:
- that the company employs at least one EU citizen or a citizen of another country outside the EU, but who has permanent residence status in Slovenia. This person must be employed on full-time salary for at least 6 months before submitting the application for foreign staff.
- showing company revenue at least EUR 10.000€ every month continuously for the last 6 months before the submission of the application
- for companies that have not been registered for 6 months, the possibility of active business conduct is also their investment in the amount of at least 50.000€ in the activity in which the foreigner will perform work.
Of course, in addition to all these conditions, some others must be met. We can address these conditions in our consultation to you.
Employment of foreigners and Slovenian citizens
The employment of foreigners is regulated in more detail by:
- Foreigners Act,
- The Employment, Self-Employment and Work of Foreigners Act (ZZSDT),
- other policies and
- regulations.
The procedures and employment requirements that an employer must meet vary according to the foreigner’s nationality. In addition to citizens of the European Union, citizens of Switzerland and the EEA (European Economic Area) also have free access to the labor market. In addition to these, other foreigners residing in Slovenia can also have free access to the labor market. They can have residence permit due to family reunification with a Slovenian citizen, permanent residence permit, etc. This means that the mentioned citizens are equal to Slovenian citizens in employment.
Foreigners who do not have free access to the labor market must obtain a single residence and work permit or appropriate consent in order to work in Slovenia.
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Easier employment of Bosnian and Serbian citizens
Bilateral agreements between the Republic of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (March 1, 2013) and the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Serbia (September 1, 2019) provide workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia with a work permit separately from the residence permit. By concluding bilateral agreements, our country is proactively planning to provide long-term needs for an adequate workforce according to the needs of the Slovenian economy, demographic indicators in the next 10 years or according to the current situation on the Slovenian labor market.
Leasing labor force is an activity of the company that requires special registration
An employer who employs a foreign worker with the appropriate work permit may not transfer this worker’s employment to another company. Leasing labor force is a business activity that requires a permit. It is issued for this purpose by the Ministry of Labor and determines the entry of the company in the relevant register of domestic legal or natural persons to perform this activity. Namely, employees can only perform an activity for the Employment office gave their consent.
Do you have a business in Slovenia and need assistance when employing foreigners? Are you considering opening a new company? Contact DATA for full support!
Do not miss the unique opportunity to learn about business immigration and support of company DATA with business in Slovenia! Contact us to for more information. Send us an email to data@data.si. You can also call us on +386 1 6006 270, Viber/Whatsapp +386 40 530 718 or skype data.business7.
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