CAREER & EMPLOYMENT GUIDE 2021 - Exploring Slovak labour market trends and human resources in the wider EU context - SME
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22nd Edition Exploring Slovak labour market trends and human resources in the wider EU context 5€
CAREER & EMPLOYMENT
GUIDE 2021
contents
Companies offering HR services: Rankings........................................................... 3
Labour market ................................................................................................ 4-13
General overview of the labour market in Slovakia............................................... 4
Vocational education and training programmes.................................................... 8
Business and shared service centre sector...........................................................10
Restaurant business is losing people....................................................................12
Legislation..................................................................................................... 14-25
Amended Labour Code reflects the pandemic....................................................16
Room for improvement in the Labour Code........................................................19
Employers cannot push employees to get vaccinated.........................................20
Changes in labour legislation and the most frequent problems of clients..........22
FAQ: Working in Slovakia.....................................................................................24
Law firms in Slovakia............................................................................................25
Who’s Who.................................................................................................... 26-35
Professionals at HR departments ........................................................................26
Education....................................................................................................... 36-41
“Pandemic graduates” join the labour market.....................................................36
Language learning in the Covid era......................................................................38
Language schools.................................................................................................40
Private international schools................................................................................41
Trends............................................................................................................. 42-51
Home office will be preserved in some form in the future...................................42
Skills Revolution survey........................................................................................44
Human resources sector highlights......................................................................46
How to find excellent senior leaders....................................................................47
HR talent: Having an idea is not enough..............................................................48
HR leader: Focus on learning mindset of potential new employees....................49
Rankings & contact details.......................................................................... 52-62
Who’s Who: Professionals at HR companies.......................................................52
Rankings: Employment agencies..........................................................................54
Rankings: Executive search firms.........................................................................56
Executive search firms..........................................................................................58
Recruitment agencies...........................................................................................59
Temporary employment agencies........................................................................60
HR consulting & development.............................................................................61
Job portals.............................................................................................................62
Index.....................................................................................................................63
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Companies offering HR services: Rankings
10 LARGEST HR COMPANIES** 10 LARGEST RECRUITMENT AGENCIES**
1. ManpowerGroup 1. ManpowerGroup
2. INDEX NOSLUŠ 2. Grafton*
3. Manuvia 3. ADECCO Slovakia
4. Grafton* 4. Lugera & Maklér
5. ADECCO Slovakia 5. GoodCall Slovakia
6. Lugera & Maklér 6. TRANSFER International Staff
7. TRANSFER International Staff 7. Pro HR
8. Maxin’s Group 8. Edgar Baker
9. EUROPERSONAL & FABRIKA 9. Manuvia
10. PROPLUSCO 10. AuJob
* acquired Work Service Group included; ** executive search firms are not included in this ranking as they use different methods * acquired Work Service Group included; ** executive search firms are not included in this ranking as they use different methods
for placements and work with a different scale of clients and positions for placements and work with a different scale of clients and positions
This ranking of the 10 largest HR companies in Slovakia was created based on five factors, to which we gave different weights: This ranking of the 10 largest recruitment agencies in Slovakia is based on the total number of placements in 2020 (leased
1) the average number of permanent employees in 2020 - leased employees not included (45% weight); 2) the total number of positions not included), while white collars have a value double that of blue collars.
placements in 2020 (leased positions not included) while white collars have a value double that of blue collars (27% weight);
3) number of leased employees in 2020 - only permanent employees (10% weight); 4) average sales revenue between the years FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PAGE 54.
2017-2019 (13% weight); 5) average net profit between the years 2017-2019 (5% weight).
10 LARGEST TEMPORARY 10 LARGEST EXECUTIVE
EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES SEARCH COMPANIES
1. INDEX NOSLUŠ 1. Amrop Jenewein
2. Manuvia 2. Menkyna & Partners Management Consulting
3. ManpowerGroup 3. Arthur Hunt
4. ADECCO Slovakia 4. HEADSCOUT
5. Grafton 5. Personality
6. TRANSFER International Staff 6. TARGET Executive Search
7. Trenkwalder 7. Teamconsult SR
8. EUROPERSONAL & FABRIKA 8. BUSINESS ESSENTIALS
9. PROPLUSCO 9. Consilium Consulting
10. Maxin’s Group 10. Pedersen & Partners
* acquired Work Service Group included This ranking of the 10 largest executive search companies is impacted by the following criteria: number of employees active in
executive search in 2020 while a partner has a value double that of a researcher or consultant (30% weight); revenues (30%
This ranking of the 10 largest temporary employment agencies in Slovakia was created based on two factors, to which we gave weight); the number of filled positions while head representatives have a value double that of other executive search positions
different weights: 1) the number of leased employees in 2020 (66% weight); 2) the number of employees active in personnel (40% weight).
leasing in 2020 (34% weight). FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PAGE 54. FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PAGE 56.
10 largest HR companies 10 largest HR companies 10 largest HR companies
by average 2017-2019 revenue by advertised positions** by number of employees**
1. Manuvia 1. INDEX NOSLUŠ 1. Manuvia 125
2. INDEX NOSLUŠ 2. ADECCO Slovakia 2. INDEX NOSLUŠ 122
3. ADECCO Slovakia 3. Grafton* 3. ManpowerGroup 109
4. ManpowerGroup 4. ManpowerGroup 4. Grafton* 76
5. Grafton* 5. Manuvia 5. ADECCO Slovakia 65
6. EUROPERSONAL & FABRIKA 6. Lugera & Maklér 6. Trexima 60
7. PROPLUSCO 7. Pro HR 7. Lugera & Maklér 57
8. Trenkwalder 8. CPL Jobs 8. Jenewein Group 45
9. Proact People Slovensko 9. AuJob 9. Maxin’s Group 35
10. HRQ 10. SYNERGIE Slovakia 10. TRANSFER International Staff 34
* acquired Work Service Group included; * acquired Work Service Group included; ** number * acquired Work Service Group included; ** average
of advertised positions in 2020 on www.profesia.sk number of permanent employees in 2020 (leased
LARGEST IN hr
employees not included)
Financial data
provider
2020
black & white greyscale inverse
3
labour market
Labour market comes to terms with
the pandemic’s mixed effects
Photo: tasr
W
hile home office be- practical training in their last year experiences with remote work. noted Michal Lukáč, client partner
came a symbol of the in school (read more on pages 36- He expects this to emerge in the at Amrop Jenewein.
pandemic’s impact on 37). The months of the pandemic aftermath of the pandemic in the Areas of medical equipment,
the labour market in many areas of have tested the state’s ability to aid reduction of companies’ office IT and various industrial sectors
business shortly after the coronavi- businesses at a time of unexpected spaces and workforce. experienced even moderate growth.
rus outbreak, it has since become need. The past year has brought On the other hand, hospitality,
clear just how profound the impact The effects on the unemploy- about significant changes in the tourism, and various service provid-
of the past year will be. ment rate have been uneven across Labour Code (summed up on ers have been hit the most. Lukáč
The first wave in the spring of sectors, highlighting the need for pages 16-17), not all of them expects this fragmentation to last
2020 closed some of Slovakia’s big- the flexibility and lifelong learn- related to the pandemic. The most for a prolonged period of time.
gest production plants for weeks ing HR professionals had been closely-watched changes were those “One year ago, nobody really
on end. The second wave, which calling for prior to the pandemic. related to working from home, but expected the pandemic to last this
fully hit between October 2020 Companies have developed new in the end lawyers see the adopted long and therefore it has taught us
and February 2021 and placed solutions and their employees have amendment as a wasted opportu- to be more cautious,” he told The
healthcare professionals under acquired new skills, which experts nity in this regard (more on pages Slovak Spectator. He hopes that the
unprecedented strain, also brought on human resources expect them to 22-23). €6.6 billion Slovakia is expected
the hospitality and tourism sector benefit from even once the virus is to receive from the European
to a nearly complete halt. The no longer an issue. Mixed impacts Union’s recovery fund will have
pandemic has closed schools for “Workers will operate in across the market a positive influence on the local
months and one of the immediate a more agile and independent way,” The Slovak labour market has labour market.
challenges this poses on the labour said Sebastián Nemčok, branch been significantly fragmented into Amrop Jenewein has observed
market is to take in the school- manager at the HR company more or less stabilised areas and a significant decrease in job offers
leavers who have not had access to Manuvia, pointing to their recent into those struck by pandemic, for employees in the service
4
labour market
industry, which was significantly executed remotely. Specific roles, when we recorded a positive mood tion in compliance with hygienic
affected by the pandemic. This especially in administration, started across companies as well as HR measures, so they were not forced
comprises the restaurant and disappearing, while new job roles agencies, leading to new recruit- to curb their operation.
hospitality business, facility have been created in response to ment and business expansion as “The gradually recovering de-
management and marketing. the challenges and needs posed by such,” said Nemčok. mand from Asian countries added
Many restaurant and café the altered work environment. to this and helped the overall per-
owners did not manage to keep Executives, especially at the Jobless rate up formance of the Slovak industrial
their workers employed and had to higher managerial level, were more The pandemic was expected to sector, including employment,” said
fire them or close their businesses risk-averse to discussing further increase the jobless rate, but in the Horňák.
altogether, with thousands of career opportunities and preferred end the drop that occurred was less A reduction in employees may
people previously employed in the to keep their secure roles. significant than previously thought. have occurred in the problematic
hospitality sector losing their jobs. Nemčok of Manuvia has Registered unemployment service sectors like accommodation
Some of these people went on to observed two fundamental curves increased, compared with the pre- or catering services. In other sec-
find a job in production plants; that seem to have copied the crisis crisis period, or February 2020, by tors, for example grocery stores and
they are unlikely to come back to and expansion in one year. In the some 3 percentage points, to 7.9 courier companies, there was a high
their previous professions. Read spring, the severe impact of the percent. demand for new employees.
more about how the sector will first wave of the coronavirus crisis “This is considerably less than “The pandemic situation cre-
handle this issue in our story on was observed in all segments, the primary projections of two- ated a new phenomenon, where
pages 12-13. both in the manufacturing and digit declines,” Matej Horňák, an some employers in retail, whose
On the other hand, the non-manufacturing sectors. In analyst of the Slovenská Sporiteľňa stores had to be closed, shared
demand for a highly qualified the summer of 2020, when the bank (SLSP), told The Slovak their employees with food retailers,
workforce on the Slovak labour infection rate receded for some Spectator. which on the other hand lacked
market remained almost time, companies faced the need to Slovakia as an economy with a workforce in their stores,” Ras-
unaffected. catch up and recover the losses they a significant share of industry was tislav Mackanič, client partner at
The overwhelming shift to sustained during the first lockdown also greatly aided by the fact that Amrop Jenewein, told The Slovak
the digital space boosted demand in March and April 2020. industrial companies, after an Spectator.
for professionals in the IT and “This trend was reflected in the initial decline in the second quarter Nevertheless, the pandemic
digital sectors and jobs that can be third and four quarters of 2020, of 2020, found a way to func- increased the number of jobseekers
Strategic Leadership & Management Consulting
Experience-based C-level & Board Services
Background Screening Solutions & Business Intelligence
Research-based Executive Search & Talent Acquisition
Family Business & Family Office Advisory
Strategic Public Affairs & Government Relations
www.jeneweingroup.com @jeneweingroup
Štefanovičova 12, 811 04 Bratislava | +421 2 5443 6001 | bratislava@jeneweingroup.com
Voršilská 10, 110 00 Praha 1 | +420 703 868 888 | prague@jeneweingroup.com
SP021050/001
labour market
registered at job offices – by some employers, employees and the self-
76,000 year-on-year – to 219,000 employed, as well as the keeping of
in March 2021. workplaces, in Slovakia’s history.
With more jobseekers ready to These included several First
find a job, the issue of retraining Aid schemes, the SOS subsidy and
has gained greater significance once the Germany-inspired temporary
again. Experts see a major problem working scheme that became
with regard to existing unemploy- known as the pandemic kurzarbeit
ment and technological changes in scheme. In total, the Labour Min-
the underdeveloped higher educa- istry paid out €1.54 billion and
Photo: Courtesy of VW
tion system. They believe retraining supported more than 4 million
needs to be better aligned with the monthly incomes of employees
needs of the labour market and that as well as the self-employed, Eva
career counselling should be more Rovenská, spokesperson of the
involved in the process in order to Labour Ministry, told The Slovak of April 2021. The rest of the year “We will see a more
bring regional market needs and Spectator. is expected to be marked by a more significant creation of jobs only in
jobseekers closer. A more detailed One of the companies using vigorous vaccination promotion 2022,” Glasová noted.
view of this issue is available on the pandemic kurzarbeit scheme is campaign, to secure a vaccination This should also be reflected in
pages 8-9. the biggest and oldest carmaker in rate of at least 60 percent of the the growth dynamics of nominal
the country, Volkswagen Slovakia, population. wages, expected to be at about the
Wages increased employing more than 12,000 This is expected to be linked same level as in 2020. However,
despite the virus people. to legal issues regarding the ability the assumed stronger inflation will
Wages developed positively in “This scheme helped us the of an employer to demand that cut a slightly higher share of the
2020, nominal wages increasing by most to mitigate the impacts of the employees be immunised against increase, noted Horňák.
3.7 percent year-on-year and real coronavirus crisis during the period Covid. The debate that has yet to Nemčok of Manuvia expects
wages by approximately 2 percent, from March to May 2020, when kick in is outlined on page 20. a positive trend in economic
noted Horňák. He specified that production in our plant was halted The return to full economic growth and the start of the market
wages decreased in the second due to an expected drop in demand operation resembling pre-pandem- for 2021 and 2022, when many
quarter of 2020 year-on-year, but for cars and the interruption of ic times is linked to reforms within companies could return to at least
this decline was caused by the the suppliers’ network,” Lucia the Next Generation EU scheme 75 percent of their pre-Covid
anti-pandemic measures in place, Kovarovič Makayová, spokesperson for funding the recovery and performance.
and the increase of parents staying of VW Slovakia, told The Slovak resilience plans of countries. Other The Labour Ministry assumes
at home with their online-schooled Spectator. She specified that state EU funds as well as renewed that the next development of
children. assistance at VW Slovakia totalled demand and investment activity wages would depend, apart
The analyst ascribed the some €18 million, thanks to which “will bring a significant impetus to from the epidemic situation,
positive development partly to the carmaker managed to maintain the economic activity of compa- on development in exports and
an increase in salaries in public employment and survive this nies, which will be reflected in the domestic consumption. It cites
administration. demanding period. labour market, too,” according to data from the National Bank of
“On the other hand, the labour VW Slovakia and other Horňák. Slovakia, the country’s central
market was also significantly aided companies hope that the kur- The analyst expects the bank, showing the return of
by state measures that protected zarbeit scheme will be preserved in economy to start recovering as early exports and private consumption
employment and compensated for Slovakia. as before the first half of 2021 ends, in the third quarter of 2020 at
part of the wages,” said Horňák. So “As the pandemic kurzarbeit after the anti-Covid measures are approximate pre-pandemic levels.
far, almost €1.3 billion were paid scheme is not sustainable in the lifted with the improving epidemic However, they also indicate
out from the First Aid programme long term, the Labour Ministry has situation. a significant decline in demand for
between March 2020 and Febru- prepared a permanent one,” Roven- SLSP estimates that the un- services.
ary 2021, while the figure for the ská said. The scheme will become employment rate would continue “This could mean a change
last months is not final and may effective in 2022. to slightly oscillate for some time, in the habits of Slovak consumers
increase. but in the second half of the year and a longer-term effect of
In general, the average monthly Vaccination is the next it should start to gradually decline the pandemic on wages,” said
wage was €1,133 in 2020, an challenge to a level of about 7 percent, with Rovenská. Given the development
increase from €1,092 in 2019, data Experts as well as analysts ex- a further decline to 6 percent in of wages so far, which shows
from the Statistics Office show. pect an improvement of the labour 2022. a relatively short-term shock, the
market situation, pinning their Jana Glasová, an analyst with Labour Ministry shares the central
Aid packages and measures hopes on vaccination. That in itself the 365.bank, agrees that the situ- bank’s conclusions that wages will
In response to the pandemic, is proving to be a challenge for the ation on the labour market will rise again in the coming years.
the Labour Ministry launched country, with barely one fifth of its improve during the second half of By Jana Liptáková
the biggest financial assistance to population vaccinated as of the end 2021. Spectator staff
6
Behind every successful business
lies a set of skilled people
Three questions for Zuzana Rumiz, Country Manager, ManpowerGroup Slovakia
RECRUITMENT AGEN- change of course has accelerated the
CIES IN SLOVAKIA OFFER, process of automation, digitisation
MORE OR LESS, THE SAME and the implementation of new
PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES. technology in different organisa-
TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIB- tions. ManpowerGroup has been
UTE THE STRENGTH AND focusing on these changes for
UNIQUENESS OF YOUR a long time and conducting a series
COMPANY? of surveys to map out and quantify
To our ability to adapt our their characteristics. The Skills
services to the needs of our client. Revolution 4.0 Human Wanted:
Whether a company needs one spe- Robots Need You survey showed
cifically oriented expert or dozens that, despite general opinion,
of employees who meet the specific employers are planning to increase
profile and can start working right or maintain the existing number of
away; whether a client asks us to employees as a result of automa-
manage an entire recruitment pro- Zuzana Rumiz, Country Manager tion.
cess or needs our help in a sensitive ManpowerGroup is actively
situation of decreasing the number our clients on how to reorganise or the competition even in a fast- building and enforcing the culture
of employees, we are prepared to set up a payroll and benefit system. changing job market. The original of learnability and talent develop-
support them. Of course, we also They can also provide basic market digital platforms for evaluating ment. We advise our clients
offer standard services like Perma- research or valuable feedback from candidates’ skills such as DigiQuo- to support their employees in
nent Placement, Temporary Place- candidates. tient, LearnabilityQuotient, and continuous learning through new
ment, Outplacement, Recruitment Within the screening process SkillsInSight allow candidates to forms: for example, through short
Process Outsourcing, and a Master of candidates, our consultants only find out about their digital savvi- and narrowly oriented courses that
Service Provider. They are the basis select the people who fulfill the ness, their ability to learn and grow will allow them to maintain their
that we evolve from. We are well exact requirements of our clients in during their career, and the level of qualifications and compete when
aware of the uniqueness of each order to maximise time efficiency. success they might achieve in the technology is significantly changing
company and we take into con- This way the client only receives specific job position. company business models and the
sideration the individual requests a selection of candidates who fit the ManpowerGroup has been an job market as well.
and possibilities of our clients. We required profile exactly. official partner of the European The What Workers Want #2
are interested in the culture of the To professionalism. Sup- Viva Tech conference for several survey shows the new future of
company, the vision and aspirations porting the culture of learning is years, presenting new innovative the world of work. There must be
our client wishes to achieve, as well a part of our company DNA. Our ideas that shape the future of the more room for workforce flexibility,
as the specifics that distinguish our employees complete regular train- world of work. ManpowerGroup diversity, health and well-being.
client from other companies in the ing through a unique internal plat- is a strategic partner of the World
field. The diversity of our services, form known as powerYou. Other Economic Forum. Since 2003, it HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY
many years of experience, and favorites include “Colleagues2Col- has been bringing its clients daring MANAGE THE WORK-LIFE
support from a global background leauges” training and language ideas on how to reskill / upskill BALANCE?
allows us to lead our partners to courses provided at work. their employees, move their stra- For me, the best stress “destroy-
success. To trust. Building a stable tegy into the digital age or achieve ers” are my four-legged friends and
To flexibility. Regular commu- partnership based on mutual trust gender equality in the workplace. a blooming garden. I really enjoy
nication with our clients is a pillar is the goal we set out to achieve. reading and find happiness in
of our working routine. This way We do not want to limit our THE WORLD HAS BEEN delicious food with good company.
we are able to ensure a flexible cooperation and partnership to IN A RARE SITUATION I am aware of the importance of
reaction to any requested changes simply finding good candidates. THAT HAS SHAKEN THE rest and regaining strength and
in a short period of time. In the Our ambition is to be a partner PRIORITIES OF THE ENTIRE inspiration. That applies to all
current situation especially, we are and an advisor to our client. We POPULATION FOR OVER working people regardless of their
aware of the need to be flexible and always strive to find the optimal A YEAR NOW. position or age.
adapt to sudden changes. solution and come up with fresh IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE
To skilled people. Our ideas through which our clients can PANDEMIC AFFECTED THE
consultants and sales managers reach the expected result. JOB MARKET?
are somewhat of a “right hand” to To innovations. The global The pandemic has mainly
our clients. They work as advisors company ManpowerGroup deve- accelerated the change of course
and partners simultaneously. As lops its own technology that allows the job market has already been
an example, they are able to advise the company to be a step ahead of experiencing for some time. This
SP021024/001
labour market
Photo: Unsplash
Slovakia still lags in further education
27
-year-old Monika registered jobseekers reskilled in tion, said it sees no problem in more accessible today, Miroslav
Gilbertová had been 2019, the official data show. the Labour Ministry running its Štefánik from the Institute of
registered for over a While the project is consid- own informal education activities Economic Research of the Slovak
year at a labour office in Rima- ered somewhat successful across through different projects for the Academy of Sciences pointed to
vská Sobota after losing her job in the board, with 39.6 percent of unemployed, including REPAS, another important improvement:
manufacturing when she tried to participants returning to the labour as part of its active labour market “The decision about a course has
upskill through a month-long small market within six months in 2019, policy tools. been given to participants.”
business course, covered by the experts see a bigger problem with The number of retrained peo- Instead of one database, there
office, in November 2020. regard to existing unemploy- ple that have taken part in the RE- are several websites people can use
Although the course she chose ment and technological changes PAS programme, which replaced when searching for a course.
was “not the best” she hopes to elsewhere in the underdeveloped the inefficient system based on Courses on accounting and
sign up for two more, brushing up further education system. central procurement of course pro- carers and security guard training
on her English and reskilling for a According to Eurostat, 3.6 viders in late 2014, is much higher courses are most frequently
career in fashion design. She wants percent of people in Slovakia par- than in further education initiatives supported through REPAS,
to start a new life outside Rimavská took in further education in 2019, under the Education Ministry, the though these jobs do not appear
Sobota – one of the least devel- which is well below the EU-27 Labour Ministry said. on the ÚPSVaR’s lists of in-
oped Slovak regions with a current average of 10.8 percent. Since its launch, the state has demand regional jobs. Conversely,
unemployment rate of about 20 Naming one of the reasons spent over €35 million on reskilling operators and drivers are needed,
percent. behind the unfavourable stats, more than 65,000 unemployed but driving licences are no longer
“Many are pushed into manu- Michal Páleník from the Employ- people outside Bratislava Region funded.
facturing,” Gilbertová said. “Even ment Institute said: “Slovakia has through REPAS. Expenditure on In this regard, Štefánik
though these jobs are well paid, long been fighting with the split of education-related active labour underlined that ÚPSVaR needs to
everyone has something they would education between the Education market policies, however, remains enhance its control system.
really like to do.” Through the Ministry and the Labour Ministry.” low compared to the EU average. “For instance, a jobless person
REPAS vocational education and It is for this reason the unemployed who, with the support of REPAS,
training programme, administered More flexible but can often partake in one accredited obtains a driving licence, which
by the Central Office of Labour, underfunded REPAS course only, ÚPSVaR noted. allows them to start as a driver in
Social Affairs and Family (ÚPS- The Education Ministry, which Apart from the fact that educa- a regional company, is perhaps
VaR), 6,647 out of almost 160,000 is responsible for further educa- tion covered by labour offices is a more ‘successful’ story than a
8
labour market
jobless person who leaves for Ger- as REPAS necessary, but their suc- ing the costs of further education when it comes to their intensive
many after a welding course.” cess depends equally on the will of providers to rewarding them for job-search assistance models based
Despite this, in his 2019 book the jobless to learn and the quality results is necessary. on one-on-one interviews with
Labour Market in Slovakia 2019+, of the course. The European Com- jobseekers.
Štefánik argues the programme has mission sees REPAS as a useful tool Adult education Looking at examples of
a positive effect on the employment as well, but it criticised Slovakia provides possibilities other countries, social security
and income of participants, which for limiting training tailored to Examples from other EU coun- mechanisms appear to be needed
is why he considers REPAS to be low-skilled people and for the low tries provide an insight into how to help retrain people for new jobs.
a top project in terms of value for participation among adults in life- the state can aid jobseekers. According to Eurostat, Sweden is a
money. long learning. In Ireland, adult participation European leader in further educa-
in learning increased from 6.6 tion, with 34.3 percent of involved
Career counselling Social security percent in 2009 to 12.6 percent in adults in 2019. One reason may
and learnability mechanisms needed 2019. be the Swedes’ right to educational
A jobless person can get access Andrej Lasz from APZ said it is Driven by the economic crises leave from their job if they want to
to a course worth up to €600 to also crucial to work with employees of the past, further education undergo training, without being
increase their employability and unprepared for Industry 4.0 who and training (FET) in Ireland, laid off.
find a job. Those who do not have could lose their jobs. described as the Cinderella of the Also, the country’s adult
a regularly paying job when they The Labour Ministry’s ‘Don’t education system for years, has education set-up is generous, both
register at a labour office, the over Lose Your Job, Educate Yourself’ undergone the last major rebuild in terms of the education offered
50s, and the long-term unemployed project, which targets this group, after 2010 when education and to different groups, from the
(more than 12 months out of work) was approved in 2019. But more training were brought under the unemployed to workers wishing
receive this support most often. must be done to change Slovaks’ Department of Education and to change their job, and financing
Experts, nevertheless, believe perception of further education, Skills for the first time in 80 years, schemes such as a monthly student
career counselling should be more stressed the OECD, including the followed by the creation of SOLAS, allowance, Swedish experts Anders
involved in the whole process to governance and funding of adult a FET authority, and the first five- Stenberg and Anders Forslund
bring regional market needs and learning. year FET strategy alongside other claim.
jobseekers closer together. “We call for the creation of an reforms. Speaking with The Slovak
“Labour offices should also effective system of further educa- “However, the task is not yet Spectator, Stenberg said it may be
work as career counselling centres tion, following the example of complete, and more work remains difficult to get political support for
that assist suitable and prospective European countries, so as to reflect to be completed if the FET sector such a large investment programme
candidates in reskilling,” said Juraj as much as possible the specific is indeed to become ‘world-class’,” such as adult education, which
Kadáš of the IT Association of needs of employers,” Lasz said. Rory O’Sullivan, chair of the FET takes decades to show any positive
Slovakia. However, further education, Committee of the National As- effects.
Although retraining courses including German-inspired educa- sociation of Principals and Deputy “One of the best things with
are not suitable for high-qualified tion vouchers, did not make it into Principals, stressed. a large adult education sector is
IT jobs, they could be for less Slovakia’s post-Covid recovery plan, Denmark, just like Ireland people worry less and see possibili-
demanding positions such as testers said APZ and the AZZZ. Nor did and Austria, runs a comprehensive ties,” he noted.
and IT support. Yet, there are not the Individual Learning Accounts, further education website. Both By Peter Dlhopolec
many labour office workers who used in Great Britain, suggested by Denmark and Austria stand out Spectator staff
follow the current needs of the the Association of Adult Education
labour market in the IT sector Institutions (AIVD).
to steer people to the courses, he But a new lifelong learning
added. strategy is in the works at the
Zuzana Rumiz from the As- Education Ministry after a decade,
sociation of Recruitment Agencies although Klaudius Šilhár from the
(APAS) recommended forklift AIVD said: “Without political
operator and accounting courses in support and structures from the
addition to courses focusing on soft ministry, the actual implementa-
skills, noting learnability through- tion is questionable.”
out life is imperative. Róbert Chovanculiak from the
“Retraining courses should, as Institute of Economic and Social
closely as possible, copy the cur- Studies (INESS) non-governmental
rent changing needs of the labour think tank sees further education
market,” she added. as dysfunctional for two reasons:
The Federation of Employ- “A small number of adults are
ers’ Associations (AZZZ) and the involved in it. Secondly, the quality
Photo: Unsplash
Association of Industrial Unions of further education is in doubt.”
(APZ) consider programmes such He argues that shifting from cover-
9
labour market
Mass layoffs in some BSCs
are not just about labour costs
Photo: Courtesy of JCI Careers
F
or more than 20 years the Center Forum (BSCF), which Slovakia can‘t announced layoffs are not due
business and shared service advocates for the interests of the compete with India to the short-term impacts of the
centre sector has silently sector in Slovakia. Martin Kahanec of the Central pandemic.
grown into the third-most impor- Rusiňák pointed to Slova- European Labour Studies Institute “Slovakia cannot compete,
tant pillar of the Slovak economy, kia’s position in ratings like the (CELSI) non-governmental think and neither do we want it to, with
after the automotive and electro- Global Competitiveness Index and tank recalled that in the past inter- salaries in India, because this would
technical industries. the Ease of Doing Business Index. national companies moved work mean the reduction of salaries of
The reports of mass layoffs at In the latter, Slovakia ranked 45th in positions from the UK, Germany people in Slovakia, which I refuse,”
some of the centres and the reloca- 2020, following a steady drop from and other countries to Slovakia. Krajniak told the TA3 news chan-
tion of entire departments to India 2014, when it achieved its best Now, they are moving on. nel back in January.
have resulted in some fears over the ranking at 29th. This is due especially to chang- Fullbrook of KPMG said that
sector’s future in Slovakia. Lygia Fullbrook, who leads es in the demand for shared service India, Malaysia and other countries
In January, Johnson Controls KPMG’s Talent Solutions services centres and increased labour costs of the Asia Pacific are proven to be
and AT&T confirmed that they in Slovakia and is sector leader for in Slovakia. Covid may have played popular options due to lower salary
were scrapping hundreds of jobs in shared service centers, sees as the a role too – as a consequence of the costs.
their Bratislava-based business ser- biggest problem for the market the pandemic, it is now more accepted “These countries are a preferred
vice centres. IBM announced plans fact that it’s becoming difficult to that some remote services are pro- option mainly for less mature SSCs
to scrap 10,000 work positions in find qualified resources for certain vided via digital platforms. focused on more repetitive tasks
Europe, including in Slovakia, in positions. “These workplaces require requiring less qualified resources,”
November 2020. The company “The fact that we have new re- a large scope of routine, repetitive said Fullbrook. “In Slovakia, we
operates shared service centres in sources on the market is a positive work, which makes them relatively should be aiming higher, creating
Bratislava and Košice. signal that we should be sending easy to transfer [to another loca- centres of excellence and bringing
“Slovakia continues to be con- out to the world,” Fullbrook told tion],” said Kahanec. jobs with higher added value.”
sidered a strategic locality within The Slovak Spectator. “For any The reshuffles especially affect Business service centres offer
central and eastern Europe, but it company looking to open a finance employees with lower qualifica- higher than average wages in
has been losing its competitive po- shared service centre, Bratislava tions. “These employees can be Slovakia. Based on a survey the
sition on the global scene,” admit- is an ideal location as it now has easily replaced either by a cheaper BSCF conducted during the first
ted Peter Rusiňák in an interview immediately available, fully trained labour force in other countries or seven months of 2020, the average
with The Slovak Spectator. Rusiňák and qualified resources brought up by robots.” monthly wage in their member
is an AmCham policy officer and by a leading multinational corpora- Labour Minister Milan companies was €1,850. The aver-
coordinator of the Business Service tion.” Krajniak said he believed that the age monthly wage in Slovakia was
10labour market
€1,096 in the first three quarters Controls told the Index magazine.
of 2020, according to the Slovak Organisational changes were to
Statistics Office. impact 532 of the 1,366 people
“Behind the above-average employed by the company, with
wages there are specific require- changes to be concluded by the
ments for these employees like end of April. As many of the laid
accounting or IT skills, along with off employees as possible should
mastering one or more foreign get jobs in other internal positions,
languages,” Nikola Richterová, noted Marinčáková.
Photo: Pixabay
spokesperson of the biggest job The services provided by Brati-
portal Profesia, told The Slovak slava Johnson Controls should be
Spectator. partly overtaken by a similar centre
Fullbrook of KPMG ascribed in Pune, an Indian city of seven “Companies needed to re- Rusiňák considers the BSC
the steady rise in salaries in the million inhabitants near Mumbai. evaluate their operation in all the sector, employing some 37,000
centres over the last years to the countries and Slovakia is not an people in Slovakia, stable and able
competition between centres. AT&T to lay off 10 percent exemption,” he noted. to absorb the specialists who will
“Obviously it was good for our Another international compa- The second factor is a long- become redundant.
economy but it made us less attrac- ny, AT&T, planned to cancel about term process within the internal Richterová of Profesia shares
tive for new prospective investors 300 positions both in Bratislava transformation of companies the same opinion, adding that the
in a competitive global marketplace and in Košice, trade unions said. It around the globe. The digital au- situation in the hospitality sector
for shared services,” said Fullbrook. is about 10 percent of the overall tomation of processes and internal significantly affected by the coro-
“I believe that due to the layoffs number of employees. The com- restructuralisation is a natural part navirus pandemic is much more
and also a latent Covid-effect, the pany remains tight-lipped about of that, according to Rusiňák. difficult.
salary levels will stabilise and may the planned reductions, though. The business and shared servic-
even decrease slightly.” “Reducing our workforce is Hard-to-replace es centre sector published 12,128
She expects that due to changes a difficult decision we don’t take specialists are safe vacancies on Profesia in 2020,
happening all over the world, lightly, and we are working with Kahanec of CELSI believes down by 23 percent compared with
companies will have to consider employee representatives and other that these companies will keep the previous year.
making their operations leaner and key stakeholders to manage the specialists who cannot be replaced The website reported the high-
more cost effective. The knowledge, impact on our people,” the com- easily, either due to their skills or est number of vacancies in these
which has been built up over the pany wrote in its statement for The the character of their jobs. The companies in 2016, when they
last 10 years, is a huge asset of Slovak Spectator in January. latter include those working with exceeded 17,600.
Slovakia. They mentioned a focus on sensitive data or documents that The most frequently advertised
growth areas and lower customer cannot leave the European Union. vacancies at BSCs are in adminis-
Johnson Controls demand for some legacy products, The relocation of some posi- tration, accounting, client support,
moves jobs to India as well as the economic impact and tions can be good news for the financial analysis, reporting, back
The American company John- changed customer behaviours due Slovak economy if it is part of offices and IT.
son Controls confirmed in January to the pandemic, as the factors that increasing the added value of work. “In spite of the announced
that it was moving hundreds of job impacted the decision to lay off On the contrary, it is a negative mass layoffs, shared service centres
positions from its business centre in people in Bratislava. phenomenon if it is a consequence cannot currently be labelled a dark
Slovakia to India, mainly changing of worse employment conditions spot in the labour market,” Richter-
financial and accounting positions. Automation is a factor in Slovakia, Kahanec explained. ová said. BSCs keep searching for
“There will be an absolute The primary reason for the lay- While the first option means that new staffers, she noted. In the first
reshuffling of several departments offs at some BSCs is the worsening the laid-off employees will find jobs four weeks of 2021, they published
in the upcoming months,” Ivana global economic situation result- requiring higher qualification, the 935 job offers.
Marinčáková of the communi- ing from the coronavirus crisis, second one will result in higher By Jana Liptáková
cation department of Johnson Rusiňák told The Slovak Spectator. unemployment. Spectator staff
Photo: Pixabay
11labour market
The hard-hit restaurant
business is losing people
Photo: Unsplash
A
top-rated chef from they had to operate with signifi- number dropping down to businesses conduct themselves
a reputable hotel res- cant restrictions in place. Until 41,000 in the final quarter of in such a manner.
taurant is stuck making April 26, 2021, they could the year. Oto Kóňa agrees. He noted
baguettes, and waiters now deliver sell meals and drinks through “The outflow of people is it would be inappropriate to use
food to homes or work as security a window or offer delivery. large, but everyone has to feed a crisis as a means to address
guards. Other workers employed in However, not every business their own family. Unfortunately, the structural problems of the
the restaurant business have found is built for this model. A busi- many expressed that they don’t gastronomy sector by letting
employment in warehouses and nessman in the gastronomy want to return to the sector in a majority of businesses fail.
automotive plants. sector, Oto Kóňa, outlined the future,” said Artz. “It is hard for honest busi-
The catastrophic situation of that it is not worthwhile for The situation is also as bad nesses who paid out hundreds
the labour force in the gastronomy a restaurant in Hnúšťa or as it is because many businesses of thousands of euros in VAT,
sector was evident even before the a tourist destination to offer officially paid their workers payroll taxes, and are not at fault
pandemic. Vojto Artz, a chef and delivery services or sell draft only a minimum wage. The for their deficit, to hear those
the president of the Slovak Associa- beer through a window. This is government is currently contrib- things,” he opined.
tion of Chefs and Confectioners, a luxury reserved for businesses uting to those wages, but lost,
stated that there was a shortage of operating in larger cities. undocumented salaries cannot New Employees
2,000 professional chefs on the For this reason, many be accounted for. Bratislava’s Volkswagen plant
market. entrepreneurs had to fire their This is also why some say saw an uptick in employees in
employees or close their busi- that the market will be cleared assembly-line positions in March
A heavy blow to nesses altogether. of businesses that engage in 2021. The plant’s spokesperson
restaurants According to the Slovak dishonest practices. Accord- Lucia Kovarovič Makayová stated
Strict epidemic measures Statistics Office, in the first ing to the general manager that “from recent experiences,
have a harsh effect on restau- quarter of 2020, over 47,000 of the Slovak Association of we can confirm that we also have
rants, pubs and cafés. Over the people were employed in the Restaurants and Hotels Marek assembly job applicants from
nine out of 12 months of 2020 gastronomy sector, with that Harbuľák, only a minority of the gastronomy sector, with
12labour market
several already finding jobs at our rewards. They also offer a greater return of customers, as was seen may not have enough capacity for
company”. degree of stability compared to after the loosening of restrictions many new customers. Restaurants
She added that the company gastronomy. after the first wave. will have to employ more work-
doesn’t record precise statistics. The job portal Profesia.sk has The general director of the ers, but he recommends that they
However, even in previous registered the re-grouping of the tourism section at the Ministry of prioritise quality over quantity so
years, they had applicants, who labour force. In the past year, it Transport, Radúz Dula, illustrated that the gastronomy sector doesn’t
were trained chefs and waiters, registered significant growth in this in the increase of VAT suffer.
becoming long-term employees of interest for jobs that didn’t require revenues from the gastronomy “After opening, we can expect
Volkswagen after retraining. specific know-how or experience; business. While during a boom in visitors. A key factor
The Kia plant in Žilina couriers, phone operators and springtime 2020, businesses will be how businesses handle
noticed a greater amount of CVs clerks were listed as examples. recorded lower numbers and expanding their workforce so
in the past months than it nor- “This was caused by job in June those numbers equaled that people don’t come with
mally receives. Among them were applicants who previously numbers from 2019, July, August expectations and end up waiting
candidates who used to work in worked in fields affected by and September brought records of for food. Successful people will
gastronomy. Head of PR at Kia the coronavirus. Transport, better year-on-year numbers. profit,” chef Martin Korbelič
Motors Slovakia, Tomáš Potoček, gastronomy and hospitality A survey conducted in Febru- opined.
stated that the number of em- weren’t the only sectors that ary 2021 by the Kantar agency According to Nikola Rich-
ployees working at the company had an outflow of employees. for the non-alcoholic beverage terová, there are still many job
who had previous experience in Many desk clerks, service producer Mattoni 1873 suggests applicants on the market.
gastronomy didn’t deviate from workers, and employees who that over two-thirds of respond- “We do not expect businesses
the long-term average. organised events were also ents in Slovakia during the to have a problem acquiring more
Fluctuation in the company looking for jobs,” explained the pandemic miss the ability to eat workers. There will also be an in-
is at a low level, because above all, spokesperson of Profesia.sk, out in restaurants. terest on the side of students who
employees prefer higher wages Nikola Richterová. It can thus be expected that are in a difficult situation as well,
and a wide range of benefits, he after these businesses open, as there are few part-time jobs on
said. Opening without waiters people will return to them. The the market,” she added.
In general, automotive plants Restaurants and cafés knew question is, however, if there is ©Index
are leading employers in Slovakia that once they where allowed to someone there to serve them. By Tatiana Kapitánová
when it comes to employee open, they could expect a quick Artz has fears that the business Special to the Spectator
SP021047/001What you need to know about
Slovakia’s new “home office” rules
T he pandemic, a La-
bour Code amend-
ment, further prog-
ress in digitalisation – all these
factors lead to an increased
In addition to these two con-
cepts, there is the option of
“temporary work from home”,
which is applicable during
a state of emergency or an ex-
number of employees work- traordinary pandemic situation
ing from their homes. This (and two months after such
naturally gives rise to discus- a state ends). Employees are
sions about the benefits and entitled to work from home,
drawbacks of home office. the nature of the work so
The focus here lies primar- permitting, and employers are
ily on legal challenges linked entitled to order home office.
to work from home, and on However, the Labour Code
topics which the Labour Code once again fails to specify the
amendment failed to ad- details of temporary work
dress. Are employers obliged from home, and employers
to reimburse employees for and employees are left without
increased costs, or provide knowing the extent of their
work equipment? What is the rights and obligations. There-
distinction between occa- fore, an agreement between
sional and regular work from the parties is advisable.
home? What lies ahead for the
employers? 2. A new approach to
scheduling working hours
1. Regular, occasional, or Based on the adopted amend-
temporary work from home: ment, employers are entitled
What are the differences? to schedule working hours
The legal regulation differs of those employees work-
depending on whether an ing from home on a regular Silvia Beňová
employee works from home basis. The parties can still Junior Associate
on a regular or occasional agree that the working time
basis. In the case of the latter, will be set exclusively by the
an agreement between the employee. In such a case, the They have to provide, install, employees working from
employer and the employee employee will, however, lose and update the technical home. Problems occur when
suffices. However, the em- some employment benefits, equipment and software need- employees use their own hard-
ployee’s rights are limited. On such as wage compensation ed so that employees can work ware and software. GDPR
the other hand, regular work for personal impediments from home. A specific ar- standards are set high and, in
from home requires changes at work and surcharges for rangement between the parties some professions, it is techni-
to the employment contract overtime work. Another op- is possible too; an employee cally impossible to achieve
– a new specification of the tion is flexible working time, may use their own hardware a sufficient level of data pro-
place of work performance where the employee has to be and software. In such a case, tection. The solution for that
– which must be signed by available to the employer at we recommend the parties is supplying the employee with
both parties. The parties can prearranged times, and may enter into a written agreement company equipment.
even agree on several such self-schedule the rest. on that subject, or amend the
places. The definition of employment contract or the 4. Reimbursement of home
“regular work from home” is 3. Home office equipment collective agreement. This office expenses
unfortunately missing in the & IT security is to avoid a situation where The new regulation obliges an
new amendment. Thus, the Companies with employ- the employee uses personal employer to reimburse its em-
best approach is to assess case ees working from home on equipment without the em- ployees working from home
by case so that there is no a regular basis have certain ployer’s consent, relieving for demonstrably increased
sidestepping of the laws. equipment-related obligations. the employer of liability for costs resulting from the use
any damage. The employee of the employee’s personal
cannot claim increased costs hardware and software. The
related to the use of personal reimbursement, however, does
hardware and software. not occur automatically. First,
Employers also should bear the use of personal equip-
in mind the obligation to ment must be agreed on in
ensure the protection of the the employment contract or
data processed and used by collective agreement. Second,You can also read
