Corruption: Slovakia ranked 49th on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2022. International companies doing business with the Slovak Government or attempting to obtain licenses required by the Slovak Government to do business in the country report poor transparency in bureaucratic processes. Corruption is perceived by businesses surveyed for the Perceptions Index report as widespread in courts, government contracting and public procurement, and in the healthcare system. While the legal system generally enforces property and contractual rights, decisions may take years, thus limiting the utility of the courts for dispute resolution.
Labor: A shortage of labor in specialized and expert professions is the result of the education system’s slow response to new conditions and failing to match the pace of requirements demanded by rapidly developing industries, such as trade, production, IT and transportation sectors. IT companies could immediately employ about 45,600 qualified employees and industry producers need an additional 56,800 new workers, according to Profesia (Slovakia’s primary online hiring platform). The health care sector is short staffed and reporting open vacancies for 780 general practitioners and 330 pediatricians, while a large portion of working doctors are older and close to retirement. In addition, the sector suffers from a lack of experienced nurses with approximately 15,000 vacancies identified by the Ministry of Health. The construction industry lacks an estimated 10,000 employees at various positions. At the same time, as of April 2023, there are about 173,900 people in the labor market without jobs. The main reason for this gap is that schools continue to offer education programs that are no longer in line with market needs, leaving jobseekers without the specific education and practical skills demanded by employers.