Working conditions in Slovenia are in many respects on par with those in the former EU15 Member States, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) will tell social policy-makers in Slovenia. There are, however, there are a number of crucial issues relating to work organisation and health which Slovenian policy-makers are challenged to tackle.

The majority of workers in Slovenia enjoy regular working hours, predominantly characterised by 9-5 jobs, five days a week. More workers in Slovenia use computers, and email and internet, at work than on average in the former EU15 and in the twelve new EU Member States. Almost nine out of ten workers in Slovenia (87.2%) spend most of the working day at the company premises, which is significantly higher than on average in the EU15 and new Member States. The work organisation and job content in Slovenia is similar to those in the EU15 countries, most notably in regards to the amounts of repetitive work, task rotation and in dealing directly with customers. Also, a large amount of Slovenian workers (38.0%) have undergone training during the previous 12 months, which is higher than on average in the EU15 (27.3%) and in the new EU Member States (25.6%).

‘Working conditions in Slovenia are in many respects on par with those in the former EU15 Member States,’ says Jorma Karppinen, Eurofound’s Director. ‘However, to reap the benefits from this situation and to maintain the country’s competitive edge, social policy-makers will have to tackle the challenges raised by high levels of intensity at work, as well as low autonomy and health & safety effects.’

A significant number of workers in Slovenia report working at high speed and to tight deadlines, Eurofound’s research findings confirm. Three out of four workers in Slovenia (75.2%) work at very high speed, which is higher than average in the EU15 (61.1%) and in the new EU Member States (51.5%). The perceived level of intensity among workers in Slovenia is one of the highest in Europe.

The work-related health effects among workers in Slovenia are important. Almost every second worker (45.9%) report backache, one in four (25.7) report headache and four out of ten (38.2%) report muscular pains due to work in Slovenia. The corresponding average figures for the EU15 countries are significantly lower (21.1%, 13.1% and 13.4%).

Workers in Slovenia rate their job satisfaction low in comparison to the rest of Europe. More than one in four workers (27.3%) fear loosing their job in the coming three months, and only one in three workers (30.6%) consider themselves well paid for the work they do. These two indicators perhaps contribute to explaining that less than three out of four workers (71.6%) are satisfied or very satisfied with work, which is lower than in the EU15 and in the neighbouring countries.