Background information

In January 2023, the Ministry of Labour published an communication (analysis) regarding a potentially permanent short-time work scheme. The analysis was part of the work on structural reforms in the context of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. In October 2024, the Ministry of Labour announced the draft law launching the permanent short-time scheme to preserve jobs in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as those witnessed during the Covid-19 epidemic and the energy crisis. In times of economic shocks or difficulties, the short-time work scheme would allow undertakings to adjust the number of working hours per employee and stabilise employment during the economic downturn.

Content of measure

The Ministry of Labour has drafted a proposal to establish a permanent short-time work scheme, aligning Slovenia with countries like Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy, which already have similar programs in place. The scheme is intended to be activated during economic difficulties or natural disasters to support workers whose employers are temporarily unable to provide them with work. Under this scheme, workers would be required to work at least half-time and participate in training during their remaining hours. Employers can receive partial reimbursement for wage compensation for between five and 20 hours a week. The Ministry of Labour emphasizes that this measure aims to prevent redundancies caused by temporary adverse conditions rather than to rescue individual firms in difficulty.

The law is expected to be enacted in 2025 (following the parliamentary process of approval).

Use of measure

No information available yet.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Social partners jointly	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

The Economic and Social Council (ESS) has appointed a negotiating group to develop a permanent short-time work scheme that can be activated during a crisis.

Views and reactions

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije, GZS) has long advocated for the establishment of a new support scheme. It argues that this scheme would help companies manage economic shocks and the effects of natural disasters, thereby making Slovenia more attractive to investors. The GZS is urging the Ministry of Labour to pass the necessary legislation as soon as possible so that the scheme can be implemented by 1 January 1 2025. While the Ministry has proposed activating the scheme at the sector level when specific industries face challenges, the GZS is calling for the activation of the scheme at the individual company level.

Sources

• 09 January 2023: Analytical basis for the establishment of a permanent short-time work scheme in Slovenia (Analitična podlaga za potrebe vzpostavitve stalne sheme skrajšanega delovnega časa v Sloveniji) (www.gov.si)
• 05 October 2024: Dnevnik, Ready for a new crisis by shorter working hours? (Na novo krizo pripravljeni s skrajšanjem delovnega časa?) (www.dnevnik.si)
• 08 November 2024: GZS supports a permanent short-time scheme and is concerned about the law regarding TEŠ 6 at the ESS (GZS na ESS podprla namero vzpostavitve trajne sheme skrajšanega delovnega časa in pojasnila zaskrbljenost glede interventnega zakona o TEŠ 6) (media.gzs.si)