Qualified workers to keep businesses expanding and competitive are not a scarce commodity in Slovenia as it often happens in low-cost locations.

The figures for school enrolment confirm that education in Slovenia is a priority and of a high standard. A national qualification can be achieved by formal school education and the certification (direct) way to obtain knowledge and skills needed to perform jobs typical of an occupation. Slovenian workers acquire vocational skills and knowledge for activities with higher value-added after 5.6 years of secondary education and 4.7 years of tertiary education on average (Legatum Prosperity Index™). The financial crises that soon evolved into a global economic meltdown has overturned Slovenia’s traditionally strong scorecard in unemployment and the number of students enrolled in higher education programmes. At end-2009, the two figures are in the 100,000 bracket. It is the right time to run more technical courses and engineering programmes, give employees grants and time off to brush up on their language skills and undertake postgraduate studies. Human capital is a valuable asset of Slovenia as a prime investment location and government-sponsored retraining programmes and measures to create a dynamic environment capable of re-allocating labour and capital between regions and industries have worked well. The regions with more unemployed provide an attractive labour base as they end reliance on the traditional industries.

A culture of pride in work, reliability and corporate loyalty characterise Slovenian workforce. The impact of the general economic uncertainty on jobs indicates that employment growth over the medium-term will be greatest in occupations that require third-level qualifications and high skill levels, with women accounting for an increasing proportion of skilled workers this is the picture foreign investors can find in Slovenia if not today than tomorrow for sure.

Detailed information on human resources...