In Slovenia, the majority of employees from third countries have vocational or secondary education
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In Bulgaria and Slovenia, 80% of companies employed workers from third countries, while in Croatia and Slovakia, two-thirds of companies did so, and in Hungary only one-third. The most educated foreign workers were employed by companies in Bulgaria and Hungary, where over 40% of foreign workers held a university degree. On the other hand, three-quarters of foreign employees in Croatian companies had only primary or vocational education, while in Slovenia and Slovakia, this figure was around 60%.
This was shown by a study conducted between April and June 2024 on a sample of 552 small, medium, and large companies from Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia. The study is part of the project "Promoting Employment of Third-Country Nationals through Social Dialogue," funded by the European Commission (HORIZON-Recruit4Tomorrow – 101102367). The coordinator is the Employers' Association of Slovenia, with researchers including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valentina Franca from the Faculty of Administration and Prof. Dr. Polona Domadenik Muren and Assist. Hana Končan from the Faculty of Economics participating in the research team.
The project addresses challenges in the employment of third-country nationals and the role of social partners. In the project's first phase, the research team closely examined labor markets in the participating countries and conducted several focus groups with stakeholders in each country. They focused on questions such as the extent of third-country nationals' employment among surveyed companies, differences among industries, countries, and companies, and specifics regarding the roles held by third-country workers. Additionally, the researchers were interested in understanding perceived differences in motivations and barriers in hiring third-country nationals and the role of worker representatives, particularly trade unions.
Besides the already mentioned differences in the number of foreign employees from third countries and their educational backgrounds, the study also highlighted differences in the types of jobs performed by foreign workers. While previous waves of migration mostly involved the movement from poorer to wealthier European countries, such as unskilled workers moving from the former Yugoslavia to Germany, globalization and technological progress have increased demand for highly skilled workers, shifting migration to high-income countries to focus more on skilled labor.
In Bulgaria, nearly half of companies reported that third-country nationals performed professional and technical roles. In contrast, most Croatian respondents indicated that third-country nationals performed basic tasks, followed by service roles closely related to the tourism and hospitality sectors. The majority of respondents in Hungary and Slovenia reported that third-country workers were employed in manufacturing sectors, as did 45% of Slovak respondents.
Based on the empirical research conducted and new insights gained, social partners will prepare proposals to adapt to the challenges of increased integration of third-country workers by the end of May 2025 in the final phase of the project. The project will contribute to social dialogue in addressing employment changes and strengthen social partners' capacity to collaborate effectively in formulating and implementing relevant policies, which are still lacking at the European Union level.
Over the past two decades, the EU has established a unified legal framework for migration policy, focusing on protecting external borders and regulating all major forms of migration, such as asylum, family reunification, and employment. Despite this progress, member states struggle to reach a consensus on a common policy for employing third-country nationals (non-EU citizens), as many countries view this as a key element of their sovereignty.
