The Slovak government is preparing to tighten regulations for migrant workers from countries outside the European Union. Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the planned new restrictions following a special meeting with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the immigration police, and the Central Labor Office.
The announcement comes amid a sharp controversy: Slovak businesses are facing a catastrophic labor shortage, yet the government is prioritizing security risks.
Security vs. the Economy: The Prime Minister’s Position
Robert Fico acknowledged that the Slovak labor market needs foreign specialists, but stressed that economic interests cannot take precedence over the safety of citizens.
“I refuse to let Slovakia end up like the West due to the consequences of unregulated and illegal migration,” the prime minister stated.
According to Fico, the country already has one of the strictest systems for screening and deporting foreigners from third countries, where law enforcement agencies closely monitor every worker before and during their stay. However, the government considers it necessary to implement additional precautions.
What restrictions is the government preparing?
Following the meeting, officials agreed to draft a series of new measures, including:
The introduction of quotas (limits): restricting the maximum number of temporary workers from specific third countries.
Strengthening the immigration police’s staffing and resources: improving the effectiveness of monitoring foreign nationals.
Tightening regulations on labor migration: additional legal barriers to entry and employment.
Stimulating the domestic labor market: more active efforts to assist long-term unemployed Slovak citizens.
The prime minister has not yet specified the exact timing for implementing the new rules, the list of countries, or the size of future quotas.
A shortage of 130,000 job openings and previous concessions
The government’s new initiatives coincide with a chronic labor shortage. Currently, Slovak companies are short more than 130,000 workers. Although the country’s unemployment rate is around 4%, it is impossible to fill these positions using domestic labor alone.
The situation seems paradoxical also because the Fico cabinet had previously taken steps to simplify the process of recruiting foreign workers. In 2024, the government significantly increased the quotas for issuing special work visas:
for bus drivers—from 200 to 2,000 per year;
for truck drivers (long-haul drivers)—from 2,000 to 5,000 per year;
for automotive industry workers—from 2,000 to 10,000 per year.
These national visas were intended for citizens of the former Soviet Union, the Western Balkans, as well as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nepal. Now this policy may undergo a significant revision, causing concern among Slovak employers who fear an even greater slowdown in production processes.
