EACH year the state pays around Sk0.5 billion in wages to non-existent employees, the Pravda daily wrote.
The ministries are drawing money from the state budget for positions that are currently vacant. The ministries then pay the money to their real employees as bonuses.
The nine ministries approached by the daily received Sk432 million for over 2,000 vacant posts last year alone.
The Finance Ministry, for instance, was given over Sk15 million to pay for 35 vacant positions last year. According to the ministry's spokesman, Miroslav Šmál, the ministry needs this money regardless.
"Often [the vacant posts] are positions that are hard to fill because they are either badly paid or require high qualifications. However, the work has to be done and nobody will do it for free," he said.
The Interior Ministry received money for 189 vacant positions; the Ministry of Justice for 50, and the Education Ministry for 45.
