Slovakia’s labour market is entering 2026 with a paradox. On paper, unemployment remains relatively low by historical standards. In reality, employers are facing a more complex environment: weaker economic growth, regional disparities, skill shortages and a growing dependence on foreign workers. The European Commission expects unemployment to rise from 5.4 percent in 2025 to 5.7 percent in 2026, while noting that the labour market remains tight in several sectors and is increasingly supported by foreign labour.

The latest data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic show that the number of unemployed people reached 161,900 in the first quarter of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 10.4 percent. The unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent, just below the 6 percent threshold. Long-term unemployment remains a serious structural problem: almost 106,000 people had been without work for at least 12 months, accounting for 65 percent of all unemployed persons.

This does not mean that Slovakia suddenly has too many workers. Rather, it shows that the country has a mismatch problem. Many people are out of work, but many companies still cannot find the people they need. EURES points to a chronic shortage of qualified workers, especially in technical and engineering fields. Manufacturing, IT, construction and healthcare are among the sectors facing the greatest difficulties, while production, logistics, accounting, sales and management roles have also been hard to fill.

Foreign workers have therefore moved from being a temporary solution to becoming a structural part of Slovakia’s economy. This is especially visible in manufacturing, logistics, construction, services and increasingly in healthcare and IT. Slovakia’s challenge is no longer simply whether it can attract foreign workers, but whether it can use their skills properly.

A new digital tool, Kam ďalej (“Where Next”), launched by Mastercard in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration and Profesia.sk, is one response to this problem. The platform compares users’ skills and experience with labour-market demand across all eight Slovak regions. It also shows possible career paths, salary expectations, working conditions and how moving to another job or region could affect living costs and quality of life.

The reason such tools are needed is clear. According to an analysis cited by AmCham Slovakia, up to 48 percent of non-EU workers in Slovakia are employed below their qualification level. In other words, Slovakia is already receiving people with skills and experience, but many of them are not working in jobs that match their potential. At the same time, the country could be short of up to 105,000 workers, particularly in IT and telecommunications, healthcare, construction, industry and services.

This underuse of talent is costly. For migrants, it means lower wages, slower integration and frustration. For employers, it means unfilled vacancies and weaker productivity. For the state, it means a missed opportunity at a time when demographic pressures are already shrinking the domestic labour force.

The labour-market situation is also becoming more uneven. In the first quarter of 2026, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Banská Bystrica, Košice and Prešov regions, while western and northern regions reported much lower figures. This regional divide matters because labour shortages often occur in places and sectors that do not overlap with available unemployed workers.

Employers are also becoming more cautious. A ManpowerGroup survey cited by AmCham Slovakia found that for the third quarter of 2026, 21 percent of Slovak employers expected to increase staffing levels, while 27 percent expected reductions. Slovakia’s seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook stood at -6, one of the weakest results globally in that survey. Still, some sectors — including automotive, hospitality, manufacturing and professional services — continue to show signs of resilience.

The OECD has warned that Slovakia’s export-led, manufacturing-based economy is being challenged by global trade tensions and fiscal pressures. It argues that the country needs reforms to boost productivity and employment, including stronger adult learning, reskilling and upskilling.

For Slovakia, the message is straightforward: foreign workers are no longer a marginal issue. They are becoming one of the pillars of the labour market. But relying on migration alone will not solve the problem. The country needs faster recognition of qualifications, better language and integration support, more flexible training, and stronger links between employers, regions and education providers.

Slovakia has workers. It has vacancies. It has migrants willing to contribute. What it still needs is a better system for connecting all three. In 2026, the future of the Slovak labour market will depend not only on how many people come to work, but on whether the country can finally allow them to work at the level of their real skills.