Information regarding employment is available at:
Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS)
Rožna dolina, cesta IX / 6
1000 LJUBLJANA
Tel: + 386 (0)1 479 09 00
Fax: + 386 (0)1 479 02 62
E-mail: info@ess.gov.si
Web: http://www.ess.gov.si


SECTION 1 – Employment of Slovenian emigrants who possess Slovenian citizenship
The employment procedure for emigrants with Slovenian citizenship does not differ from the employment procedure which applies to national residents.

Information on concrete and actual availability of job vacancies can be obtained at any regional ESS unit.  For quite some time, the overall number of job vacancies has been made available at the ESS web page where Slovenian workers from abroad can obtain concrete data on all open working posts and can, in the case of a corresponding job offer, address their application to the employer who issued a call for applications.    

Employment can also be found via calls for applications published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, in which case you must look up the corresponding Official Gazette No. and click on its ''Official publications'' chapter.    

Additional information on employment by means of e-search is available here.  


SECTION 2 – Employment of emigrants who do not possess Slovenian citizenship
Slovenian emigrants, or their direct descendants to the third generation in direct descent, who do not possess Slovenian citizenship must, prior to being employed, obtain a work permit issued by the Employment Service of Slovenia. Possessing a personal work permit means that regarding employment and work, personal work permit holders enjoy practically the same rights and obligations as Slovenian citizens, and that they are entitled to free choice of their employer. Personal work permits are issued for a period of three years.

Information on work permits is available on the ESS Central office web page.  

Once a work permit has been issued, it is necessary to obtain a residence permit. Applications for this purpose can be lodged, depending on place of residence, with the competent diplomatic/consular mission abroad or with the competent administrative unit in Slovenia.  


SECTION 3 – Cases not requiring a work permit

Work permits are not required only in cases when so provided by law or an international convention. This applies to the employment of workers from the new and old EU Member States, to the EEA countries (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland) and to Switzerland. Regarding terms of employment or when seeking a job, workers of these countries enjoy the same status as domestic workers. This means that in case of employment, workers from the mentioned countries are not required to obtain a work permit; on the other hand, their employer is required to proceed to a notification concerning the work registration of an EU worker.  

In addition, the right of free access to the labour market (no work permit required) is enjoyed by family members of citizens of all EU member states, EEA countries and the Swiss Confederation, who are nationals of third countries. The right of free access to the labour market means that, in Slovenia, these foreigners have the right of employment or self-employment without having to obtain a work permit. This right is justified on the basis of their permit of residence issued with the purpose of family reunification. A Slovenian citizen's immediate family member who is in possession of a valid temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunification can apply for a personal work permit with a validity period of three years.  


In Slovenia, despite the restricted possibilities of employment, a considerable lack of workers has been established in several branches and categories of professions. These professions and activities offer fairly realistic possibilities of employment for Slovenian emigrants and guest workers from abroad, including their descendants, who wish to return to their home country to find a corresponding job.  

Information on the concrete and actual offer of job vacancies is available in all regional ESS units. In addition, all vacant jobs have for quite some time been accessible on the ESS web page (www.ess.gov.si) where Slovenian workers from abroad can get concrete data on the overall number of vacant posts and can, in the case of a corresponding job offer, address their application to the employer who issued a call for applications.

For more information concerning looking for a job or employment in Slovenia, click on e-government.