Steelmaker US Steel Košice (source: Courtesy of USSK)
Slovakia has long battled a shortage of both qualified and unskilled labour, and governments and employers have often looked to fill gaps in the workforce by attracting foreign workers.
But another source of potential labour has remained largely untapped: the country’s Roma population.
Generally low levels of education, high rates of poverty, and widespread prejudice from the majority society have held back this marginalised community from playing a larger role in the labour force.
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“Marginalised Roma communities do not start from the same place as the majority of general society,” Alexander Daško, Government Proxy for Roma Communities, told The Slovak Spectator. “This is due to discrimination and generational poverty. They need to be given a helping hand so that they have an equal chance of living a full life.”
Some companies have, however, begun to tap into the labour potential among Roma and have launched successful projects to employ people from marginalised communities.
