Labour migrations, Slovenia, 2020

Every other person in employment commutes to work to another municipality

At the end of 2020, there were almost 869,900 persons in employment (excluding farmers) in Slovenia. Compared to the previous year the number decreased by 1.4% or almost 12,000, while the number of labour migrants between municipalities increased by almost 5,000. In 2020, more than half of persons in employment or almost 473,500 were labour migrants between municipalities.

Labour migrations and COVID-19

In 2020, life and work in Slovenia were also adjusted to the COVID-19 epidemic. Some companies were not allowed to carry out their activities most of the time or their production was reduced. If possible, work from home was arranged, meaning that there were fewer actual labour migrations than would normally have been. However, this survey does not monitor actual labour migrations or how frequent they are (daily, weekly or otherwise), but compares two administrative data sets (place of residence and place of work). If the person has two registered residences, first the temporary (where the person is supposed to have a center of life interests such as work, education, family) and then the permanent residence is taken into account.

At the end of March 2020, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an ordinance that prohibited the movement of people outside the municipality in which they have registered temporary or permanent residence. In the first half of 2020, demographic statistics recorded two thirds more inter-municipal migration, of which the majority was migration from permanent to temporary residence.

Compared to the end of 2019, the number of workers that commute to another municipality to work increased in 2020 at all territorial levels, despite the fact that the number of persons in employment decreased (by almost 12,000) in the same period. Observed by the municipality of residence, the number of persons in employment increased the most in municipality Kranjska Gora (by about 1,000) and in municipality Bohinj (by about 200).

Municipality Trzin still the most labour-oriented municipality, municipalities Velenje and Mežica dropped out of this category of municipalities

Very labour-oriented municipalities are those in which the number of workplaces is at least 16% higher than the number of persons in employment living in them. At the end of 2020, there were 16 such municipalities. The number of very labour-oriented municipalities was lower than in 2019; municipalities Velenje and Mežica dropped out of this category.

Among very labour-oriented municipalities, the municipality that particularly stood out is Trzin, which had three times more workplaces than persons in employment living in it. Daily or otherwise around 5,200 persons in employment commuted to work in Trzin, while around 1,200 persons in employment with residence in municipality Trzin commuted to work in other municipalities.

Ljubljana is the most burdened by labour migration, Maribor is three times less burdened than Ljubljana

Labour migration usually takes place in both directions: »migration from the municipality« (persons in employment who work outside the municipality of residence) or »migration into the municipality« (persons in employment commute to work from other municipalities). How common these migrations are depends on the population, on the number of workplaces in a particular municipality and on traffic connections.

The most intensive situation as regards labour migration is in Ljubljana, where daily or otherwise travel to work slightly more than 134,100 persons from other municipalities, while at the same time around 22,800 persons in employment with residence in Ljubljana commute to work in other municipalities. The total flows of labour migrations of Ljubljana include around 156,900 persons in employment; however, migration flows to Ljubljana are almost six times more numerous than from Ljubljana. Almost three and a half times less burdened was Maribor (around 46,000), followed by Celje (28,200), Kranj (26,200) and Domžale with almost 18.300 persons in employment commuting to work in both directions.

Osrednjeslovenska statistical region remains the only one with more workplaces than persons in employment living in it

Labour migrations between statistical regions are not as frequent as between municipalities because they cover a larger area. At the end of 2020, there were around 183,700 (or 21.1%) labour migrants between statistical regions. Compared to the previous year, in 2020 the number of labour migrants between statistical regions increased by 9,000, while the number of persons living and working in the same statistical region decreased by almost 21,000 (non-migrants).

The Osrednjeslovenska statistical region was in the last four years the only one with more workplaces than persons in employment living in it (by 31.4%). The second in terms of the highest index of labour migration was the Podravska statistical region, which has 3,960 fewer workplaces than the number of persons in employment living in it.

Every eleventh person in employment living in Vzhodna Slovenia commutes to work in the other cohesion region (or vice versa)

Even less common is labour migration between cohesion regions. In 2020, there were almost 96,900 (or more than one tenth) labour migrants between cohesion regions. Zahodna Slovenija had 13.1% more workplaces than persons in employment living in it.

The labour migration flow at the level of cohesion regions is stronger in the east-west direction; almost 68,300 persons in employment commute to work from Vzhodna to Zahodna Slovenija and four times fewer (almost 17,800) persons in employment in the opposite direction (from Zahodna to Vzhodna Slovenija).

Compared to 2019, at the end of 2020 there were almost 12,000 fewer persons in employment (excluding farmers); over the same period, the number of workers that commute to work at the level of the largest territorial units (by cohesion regions) increased by almost 6,000. All this suggests that labour migration is an increasingly common phenomenon in modern society and the labour market.
In 2020, a significant increase in applications for temporary residence also contributed to this, mainly with the aim of facilitating transitions between municipalities during the prohibition of movement between municipalities due to covid-19 and not due to actual relocation.

Does Slovenia remain equally interesting for foreign daily migrants from neighbouring countries?
Yes, Slovenia is equally attractive for cross-border daily labour migrants. Foreign daily migrants are people who are citizens of neighbouring countries (Italy, Austria, Hungary or Croatia) and work in Slovenia but do not have a registered permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia. At the end of 2020, there were slightly more than 10,800 foreigners in employment in Slovenia; of these just over 4,600 (or 42.6%) were daily labour migrants; 79% of them men.