The record-breaking year 2022 comforted many job seekers but, on the other hand, it scared companies which were short of people. Long-term predictions warn that the human employee shortage will increase. Profesia's insights uncover the labour market context that can help companies to make necessary changes.
More than 356,000. This is the number of job offers posted by employers on the largest job portal in Slovakia in 2022. It is a record that has been set in a truly extraordinary way. The previous record, set in 2021, was broken by more than 63,000 offers.
Nikola Richterová, PR Manager at Profesia
Profesia.sk has been a reliable leader among job boards for 26 years. Job searches in Slovakia often start with the popular phrase "I'm going to Profesia". Surveys have confirmed that up to 75 percent of respondents among the economically active population spontaneously mention Profesia.sk as a relevant online source for job searching.
Actual Slovak labour market
The number of job offers published by companies in 2023 reached 100,000 in April. Although employers' demands for candidates have slightly weakened after last year, the current numbers are still above average. This brings more competition for companies. Last year was marked by competing for every skilled candidate. For this reason, it is also better for employers that the number of people responding to job offers is now better than in 2022. If an employer posted a job offer on Profesia.sk during the first quarter 2023, it received an average of 18 CVs.
Connections between Slovak work habits
To understand the market in Slovakia, people need to know the context. Profesia surveys have found that up to 70 percent of Slovaks struggle with their income. For comparison, in the Czech Republic that number is 52 percent. In Slovakia, poverty and the fear of it is a factor that strongly influences people in building a career. Candidates change jobs most often because of higher salaries and, among employee benefits, they are more interested in career growth opportunities than work-life balance.
Number of people struggling with their salary | |
Slovakia | 70% |
Czechia | 52% |
However, these facts may not apply everywhere. Slovakia has large regional differences. Individual regions are different not only in the number of job opportunities, but also in their structure, which is related to other factors. While in Bratislava it is difficult for employers with an unknown name to find marketing specialists, in Košice dozens of people would be interested in such a job opportunity.
What do we need to know for a better future?
In around 2016 the Slovak media started mentioning the shortage of people on the labour market. It seems that we reached the highest peak last year. However, long-term forecasts show us that the real peak is still in front of us. Demography is uncompromising; boomers are entering retirement and their replacements are missing. Meanwhile, Profesia's data can already indicate the types of changes that could save companies from HR drama.
For example, in Slovakia there is low job flexibility on the market. The experience of Profesia.sk shows that if an employer publishes an offer for a part-time job, the number of responses increases. Today, up to 90 percent of offers are for full-time work. However, a significant number of Slovaks are interested in flexible work. For example, parents with young children, people with disabilities or older applicants who are interested in working but need to adapt their working hours to their conditions.
Flexibility is needed in the market not only in working hours, but also in the strictness of the requirements for the job. It is highly possible that companies will have to get used to job seekers with no previous experience. Therefore, companies that offer training to newcomers will be at an advantage. At the same time, a future with a shortage of people calls for increased attention to the satisfaction of current employees. A high number of job offers brings employers the risk of higher fluctuation.
Solutions for a better labour market
During its 26 years of activity, Profesia has become a relevant partner not only for employers who are looking for employees. The Profesia.sk job portal is just one product from the large portfolio of the technology company. Others include Paylab.com, which tracks the salary status of people around the world; Seduo, an online education platform; the innovative event Profesia Days; the school portal Edujobs.sk; Tulu, a tool for simplifying administrative duties, and much more.
In January 2023, Profesia was merged into a single business structure with LMC, which operates in the Czech Republic and Poland. This move brings Profesia more opportunities for innovation not only in Slovakia, but also for the Czech and Polish labour markets.
This article has been brought to you by Profesia.
