Slovakia

Slovakia is a country of 5.4 million people that uses the euro. Its employment rate is above the EU average: 78.1% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).

Unemployment has gone down – from 6.1% in 2022 to 5.4% in 2025, below the EU average of 6.0%. Youth unemployment has fallen even faster, from 19.9% in 2022 to 15.3% among people aged 15–24 – now almost the same as the EU average (15.2%).

As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a work permit – your employer only has to inform the labour office within 7 working days after you start. The minimum wage is €915 a month (2026). Prepare your CV in Slovak.

According to EURES, most vacancies in Slovakia are in transport, healthcare and warehousing, and there is ongoing demand for workers in the automotive and engineering industries. Slovakia actively recruits medical professionals, IT specialists (also for remote jobs) and logistics workers.

The occupational groups with the biggest shortages in 2024 were machine and plant operators, building and related trades workers, and drivers. Examples from the regions:

• Bratislava – IT, healthcare, construction, services and trade,
• Trnava, Trenčín and Nitra – welders, metalworkers, assembly and production operators, CNC turners, engineers, technicians, electricians, nurses, lorry drivers,
• Žilina and Banská Bystrica – electricians, plumbers, nurses, doctors, metalworkers, construction workers,
• Prešov and Košice – welders, machine assemblers, engineering specialists, doctors, nurses, cooks, bus and lorry drivers.

The labour office (ÚPSVaR) also publishes an official list of occupations with labour shortages (zoznam zamestnaní s nedostatkom pracovnej sily).

The Slovak public employment service is the network of Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (úrady práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny – ÚPSVaR). Vacancies are also advertised on private job portals. Start here:

• sluzbyzamestnanosti.gov.sk – the official job portal of the public employment service: search vacancies, create an account and upload your CV (in Slovak),
• EURES Slovakia – EURES advisers and job offers for people moving within the EU,
• EURES – the EU job portal with vacancies from all EU countries.

When you start work, your employer must report it to the labour office – since 1 September 2025 this is done only electronically.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

Slovak employers expect a well-prepared CV and, ideally, formal or informal recommendations from former employers. Your application should include:

• a CV – bring a version in Slovak; you can create it with Europass,
• a cover letter – formal, at most one A4 page and signed by hand, briefly stating your qualifications and skills for the job and your work experience or education,
• a professional email address in your contact details.

Diplomas: recognition of foreign qualifications is handled by the Ministry of Education. Its recognition navigator tells you step by step what to do and includes a database of regulated professions and application forms. For academic recognition of study periods abroad, the national NARIC centre can advise you.

• Minimum wage: €915 a month, or €5.269 for each hour worked if you are not paid monthly (from 1 January 2026). Depending on how demanding the job is, there are six minimum wage levels, from €915 to €1,495 a month.
• Contract: employment is based on a written employment contract. A fixed-term contract may last at most 2 years and be renewed twice; further renewals need an objective reason. A probation period of at most 3 months (6 months for managers) must be agreed in writing.
• Working time: at most 40 hours a week, usually 37.5–40 hours over five days. The 30-minute break is generally not counted as working time.
• Overtime: including overtime, you may work on average no more than 48 hours a week. Overtime is paid with extra money on top of your normal wage, or with time off if you agree.
• Holidays: at least 4 weeks of paid leave a year; 5 weeks if you are 33 or older or permanently care for a child.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland can work in Slovakia without any permit, on the same terms as Slovak students.

• Agreement on temporary student work (dohoda o brigádnickej práci študentov) – a special work agreement for students under 26. On one such agreement per month you can claim a deductible amount of €200 a month (odvodovo odpočítateľná položka): up to this amount no pension insurance contributions are paid. It does not apply to accident and guarantee insurance.
• Traineeships can be paid or unpaid – the organisation offering the traineeship decides. An unpaid traineeship needs a written agreement; a paid one is based on a work agreement.
• Seasonal work is work that depends on the seasons, is repeated every year and does not exceed eight months in a calendar year.

Students from outside the EU need to check the conditions for working during their studies with the local labour office (ÚPSVaR) before they take a job.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Slovakia – practical information.

1. Report your arrival: as an EU/EEA citizen, report the start of your stay to the Foreign Police department within 10 working days of arrival.
2. Register your residence: if you stay longer than 3 months, register with the Foreign Police within 30 days after the first 3 months. Bring a valid ID card or passport, proof of accommodation and your employment contract (or proof that you have enough money).
3. Health insurance: as an employee you are covered by public health insurance. You have the right to choose a health insurance company; submit an application (prihláška) to it within 8 days, and you get an insurance card (preukaz poistenca). If you change insurer, tell your employer within 8 days. Your employer deducts the contributions from your salary.
4. Tax: income tax is progressive. In 2026 the rates are 19% on yearly income up to €43,983.32, 25% up to €60,349.21, 30% up to €75,010.32 and 35% above that. Your employer deducts it from your salary.
5. Before you go: bring your European Health Insurance Card and a CV in Slovak.

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a residence permit, and for most jobs also a work permit. According to EURES Slovakia, employers can hire people from outside the EU who hold:

• an EU Blue Card – for highly qualified jobs; it is issued for the duration of the employment contract, for at most 3 years,
• a temporary residence permit for employment together with a work permit,
• a temporary residence permit for employment based on a confirmation from the labour office that the vacancy can be filled,
• a residence permit for family reunification or long-term resident status, together with a work permit.

Your employer must send an information card to the labour office within 7 working days of your start. The rules are explained on the ÚPSVaR page on the employment of foreigners; residence permits are dealt with by the Foreign Police.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Slovakia, Labour market information: Slovakia,
• EURES Slovakia – employing EU citizens and foreigners,
• ÚPSVaR – job portal, employment of foreigners,
• Social Insurance Agency – students: exemption from pension insurance contributions,
• Health Care Surveillance Authority – public health insurance: information for citizens,
• Ministry of Education – recognition of qualifications,
• Your Europe – working abroad.

Updated: October 2026.