Legal residence
To be able to get a job, you need to have one of the forms of legal residence in Slovakia:
- Temporary protection
- Temporary residence for work
- Permanent residence
- Asylum
You can read more in the article Legal residence in Slovakia.
These forms of residence are necessary for your employment contract with the employer to be valid. Subsequently, you will be protected by the Labour Code of the Slovak Republic, which guarantees your rights to an agreed wage, health protection at work, days off and more.
How do I find a job?
Employers and employment agencies often advertise in internet job portals. Job portals publish advertisements according to the type of job position, location, language and other criteria.
- Služby zamestnanosti (official website of the Labour Office of SR)
- Profesia.sk
- Kariera.zoznam.sk
- ISTP.sk
- Workania.sk
What information can you find in a job advertisement?
A job advertisement contains information about the position, job description, place of work, requirements for applicants, expected gross salary and contact information for the company or person who published the advertisement.
Each published job offer must contain either accurate salary information or an estimate based on performance and hours worked.
Find your way around job offers
You can regularly receive an e-mail with a list of current job offers according to your chosen criteria. However, for this purpose you will need to register in one of the job portals.
If you are interested in one of the offers, you can respond to it using the forms in the job portals or directly on the web page by sending your CV and covering letter to the employer.
Monitor changes in the labour market
Some large companies have a questionnaire on their web page under the “career” tab where you can register. If you are a good fit for any of their currently wanted positions, they will contact you directly.
The process of getting a new job from finding an advertisement for the position you are looking for through the selection process can take several weeks.
Do not leave looking for a job until the last moment, especially if you are looking for a seasonal job or a student summer job in July and August. Good offers are published already at the beginning of May and are snatched up quickly.
Net and gross wage. What is the difference?
Gross wage
A gross wage is your wage before tax and health and payment of social security contributions. Job offers always state a gross wage. Likewise, at the interview, the employer will ask you about your expectation of a gross monthly wage.
Net wage
A net wage is your actual wage that you will receive in your account. It is the amount that will be paid to you after deduction of taxes and levies from the gross wage. The amount of taxes and levies depends on your family situation, number of children, marital status, disability, etc.
For example, a childless man or woman who was offered a gross monthly wage of EUR 1400 will receive a net wage of approximately EUR 980. A man or woman with two children who was offered the same wage of EUR 1400 will receive a net wage of approximately EUR 1260.
Minimum monthly wage in Slovakia
In 2023, the minimum gross monthly wage set by law is EUR 700. The minimum gross hourly wage is EUR 4.023.
The most common types of employment contracts
Full-time job
The employee’s working hours are a maximum of 40 hours per week (young people under the age of 16 a maximum of 30 hours per week). The employer pays taxes, health insurance and all social contributions for you.
Part-time job
The employee’s working hours are less than 40 hours per week (often 20 hour per week). The employer pays taxes, health insurance and all social contributions for you.
Agreement to perform work
This type of employment contract applies to seasonal work, for example during the summer. According to the law, the working hours of an employee may not exceed 10 hours per week. The employer pays taxes, health insurance and some social contributions for you.
Agreement on temporary student work
Only full-time students may perform this type of work. The agreement must contain a job description, remuneration, scope of working hours and the period for which the agreement is concluded. The agreement must also include a confirmation of the study, which you can get at the study department of your school.
Special documents required for some jobs
In some professions, special documents are required, such as a health certificate, hygiene minimum, driver’s card.
The employer will inform you if these documents are required.
In the case of highly qualified or regulated professions (for example in the field of healthcare), you will also need a certified document of your education, which you obtained outside Slovakia. Contact the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, which performs nostrification – recognition of education documents.
If the job position requires proof of integrity with an extract from the criminal record, this can be temporarily replaced by an affidavit of integrity in the case of citizens of Ukraine.
Teaching jobs
If you are interested in a teaching job, you will have to undergo an examination by a psychologist of your choice and get an opinion on the psychological competence of the teaching staff. The opinion must not be older than one year. The price for this service is approximately EUR 80.
Due to the lack of clinical psychologists, the waiting time for an examination appointment is quite long, in some cases even several weeks.
You can apply for a teaching job via a form on the webpage of the Ministry of Education of SR – Ukraine.
Work on public holidays
Employees in Slovakia are entitled to rest on non-working days and public holidays. A large number of employees do not have to go to work on these days.
You can find the list of non-working days and public holidays in the Calendar.
The employer can order you to work on these days only in exceptional cases and only in accordance with the Labour Code. Only necessary jobs that cannot be postponed to other days can be carried out, e.g.:
- Public transport (driver, dispatcher, technician, …)
- Maintenance (roads, electricity, sewage, …)
- Health care
- Restaurants
- Services (petrol stations, entertainment centres, press, …)
- Agriculture (animal feeding, processing, …)
- Protection (gate house, security service, …)
- Continuous operations (factories, power plants, …)
Public holiday surcharge
The employer is obliged to pay you a surcharge of at least 100 percent of your average hourly wage for hours worked during public holidays. Learn more at Podnikajte.sk.
Rights of employees
You have the same rights as EU citizens, including a maximum 40-hour working week, statutory minimum wage or higher, holiday entitlement, meal allowance, night and weekend pay, health and social insurance. Learn more at Podnikajte.sk.
The employer must pay you extra for every hour of work that exceeds 40 hours per week. However, the average weekly working hours, including overtime, must not exceed 48 hours.
Be careful when choosing a job and make sure that the conditions in the employment contract are in accordance with the Labour Code, that you understand them and that you have enough information about the employer. The employment contract must be concluded in writing.
Learn more about your rights at Legal work, legal employment.
If you feel that your employer is not complying with the obligations arising from your employment contract or labour legislation, you can file a complaint with the National Labor Inspectorate.
Your obligations towards authorities
As an emigrant from Ukraine with the status of temporary protection according to the law, you are not entitled to unemployment allowance and you have no rights and obligations towards the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. However, you can use free counselling services and educational activities of the Office.
Read more – The Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family assists people from Ukraine.
Consult the experts
If you have any doubts about the job offer, or suspect that the employer is not treating you according to the law, do not hesitate to consult experts from the non-governmental organisation International Organization for Migration (IOM) or the Human Rights League (HRL).
You will find contact details at Services – legal advice.
External links
- https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2001/311/20230601 [zakonnik-prace]
- https://ukrajina.minedu.sk/praca-v-skolstve/ [minedu-uk]
- https://www.podnikajte.sk/pracovne-pravo-bozp/priplatky-za-pracu-cez-vikend-v-noci-vo-sviatok-od-1-6-2023 [priplatky]
- https://www.ip.gov.sk/mimoriadna-situacia-na-ukrajine/?ip=nip [legalna-praca]
- https://www.safework.gov.sk/home/ [inspektorat]
