High interest in new hires and IT graduates. But gender gap remains an issue

Seeking employment

During 2023, employers in Slovakia published more than 314,000 job ads on the largest employment website in Slovakia, Profesia.sk, which belongs to the portfolio of the Alma Career recruitment company (formerly Profesia). That was 40,000 fewer than in 2022, but still only the second time in the website’s history that it had published more than 300,000 ads in a single year. The biggest demand for new employees came in the second quarter of the year, when employers sought more than 85,000 new hires. The greatest number of job ads were published in the trade sector.

Employers remain interested mostly in computer science graduates, with nearly five companies on average checking each such CV. They also seek construction and engineering graduates (three companies, on average), according to a Profesia.sk analysis carried out on a sample of 14,000 CVs. The most sought-after graduates are those from the University of Economics in Bratislava, with more than four companies on average checking their CVs.

Up to 33 percent of employers in Slovakia envisage their employee numbers increasing, while 20 percent predict a drop, 43 percent expect no change at all, and 4 percent did not comment on the topic. This stems from a ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the second quarter of 2024. The seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook in Slovakia stands at +12 percent, with the highest being in eastern and western Slovakia (17 percent each), and the lowest in central Slovakia (6 percent).

More than 76,000 job ads published on Profesia.sk by early October 2023 required applicants to speak at least one foreign language, while 167,000 wanted applicants who speak two or more foreign languages. More than 90,000 job ads required the applicant to speak English, and over 25,000 wanted them to speak German.

Altogether, 6,397 ads offering jobs abroad were published on Profesia.sk in the first half of 2023. While in 2022, about 18 people on average responded to one such ad, a year later this rose to 24 on average. Most Slovaks respond to job ads from Germany (more than 30,000 responses to over 1,800 offers), followed by the Czech Republic (more than 18,000 responses to nearly 1,800 offers), and the Netherlands (more than 16,000 responses to some 510 offers). Applicants mostly seek jobs in the field of translation and interpretation.

Diversity in the workplace

The total gross monthly earnings of women in Slovakia amounts to €1,583 on average, about one quarter less than men, who earn €2,100 on average, based on findings from an analysis by the Platy.sk website. The difference in salary evaluation increases with the number of years worked.

Slovakia scored 59.2 out of 100 points in the 2023 edition of the Gender Equality Index, issued by the European Institute for Gender Equality, ranking 23rd (out of 27) in the EU. Its score was 11 points below the EU average. Slovakia’s score has increased by 3.2 points since 2020, one of the biggest improvements among member states.

Slovakia remained in 19th spot in PwC’s Women in Work Index ranking, having climbed four ranks from 23rd place in the last three years. The slight deterioration of Slovakia’s overall score in the latest ranking was caused by an increased gender pay gap, which rose to 17.2 percent in 2022 from 16.6 percent in 2021. The average gap in the OECD is 13.5 percent. However, Slovakia can boast a record rate of female labour force participation since 2000, up from 63.2 percent in 2000 to 72.2 percent in 2022.

Women today make up only around 30 percent of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and the gender gap is particularly high in the fastest-growing and best-paid jobs of the future. These are in computer science and engineering, where only around 20 percent of the workers are women, reported the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Slovakia during the Female Leadership in the Digital Age event held in March 2024.

While back in 2021, 1,470 people whose ability to work was reduced by more than 40 percent created a CV in the Profesia.sk database, a year later their number had increased to 3,087 and in 2023, to 4,300. In March 2024, their number stood at 2,051. They are particularly interested in finding jobs in administration, trade, auxiliary works, production and transport.

Development of salaries

The nominal monthly wage for 2023 amounted to €1,430, up 9.7 percent year-on-year. Annual growth was the highest since 2004. Real wages continued to decline, however, falling by 0.7 percent, according to the Statistics Office.

The highest salaries in 2023 were reported by companies in the IT sector, with the average gross monthly wage at nearly €2,500. Employees of IT companies earned the most in Bratislava Region and Košice Region, but the least in Prešov Region and Trenčín Region, according to Platy.sk.

The lowest increase in salaries in 2023 was reported in the IT sector, where people in many positions received the same pay as the year before. On the other hand, salaries in engineering and manufacturing rose most significantly. This stems from a survey carried out by the Grafton recruitment company in the third quarter of 2023 in eight Slovak regions. It included more than 300 positions in eight basic labour market sectors.

Working conditions

Altogether, 131,319 people voted for the Most Attractive Employer of 2023, the most in the competition’s history. Most were aged 35-49 years old, and came from Bratislava Region. Nearly half had a university education. Four companies successfully defended their positions from 2022: Henkel, Lidl, Sociálna Poisťovňa and Slovenské Elektrárne.

When people decide on whether to stay or leave their current job, up to 70 percent of respondents to the Grafton survey cited financial considerations, while 59 percent cited the inappropriate behaviour by their superior and their relations with colleagues, and 30 percent a lack of stability and insecure prospects of their employer. More than 80 percent of respondents said that their salary was the most important reason for accepting a job, followed by interesting job content, home office and flexible working hours.

As many as 22 percent of people in Slovakia would be willing to move abroad for a better job. Another 9 percent would consider such an option, while 69 percent are inclined to reject the idea. This stems from an international survey carried out by Alma Career in 13 countries on more than 76,000 respondents. It showed that the higher the income and level of education, the higher the willingness to move.

Two-thirds of Slovaks looked for a new job during the past year, but just one quarter actually attended a job interview. Most people expect a starting salary of up to €1,500, most often between €1,250 and €1,500. Just 37 percent of respondents said that they would be willing to move for a new job within Slovakia, and 28 percent would move abroad, according to a poll conducted by the STEM/MARK agency for Home Credit Slovakia between late October and early November 2023.

Nearly 30 percent of employees in Slovakia have encountered bullying at work. At the same time, 12 percent said that they have been the target of bullying in the past five years. This was mostly the case of people working in business services, trade and marketing, according to a Grafton survey carried out on 1,825 respondents in January 2023. Most people solved these problems by changing their employer (40 percent).