Slovenčina 
English 
Since 2006, our IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) has been providing free advice to migrants who want to live, work or study in Slovakia. As Slovakia is becoming more attractive to people from other countries, informing about their stay and work in the country is crucial for the IOM.
- What do people struggle with the most when looking for a job in Slovakia?
- What are their most common questions?
- Do Slovak employers want to hire people from other countries?
Find out the answers to these and other questions in an interview with MIC staff members Simona Mičušíková, who coordinates employment and social counselling, and Katarína Hudecová, who coordinates legal counselling at the MIC.
What can migrants turn to the MIC with, if they need advice, information or assistance in the field of labour market counselling and support? What do they most often need help with?
Simona: We will support them in their orientation on the labour market or with the recognition of diplomas and education. Often, they need to take a retraining course to work in an area in which they already have experience but lack a recognised qualification in Slovakia. Or vice versa, when they want to do a requalifying course in order to find a job in Slovakia more easily. The MIC provides financial contributions for retraining and educational courses.
According to Simona Mičušíková, who coordinates job and social counselling at the IOM Migration Information Centre, it is crucial for migrants looking for work in Slovakia to learn the language. Photo © International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Why is it important to provide migrants with such support and guidance?
Simona: It is very important that clients are informed and have correct information about their rights and obligations to avoid misunderstandings and complications, so that they don’t become victims of labour exploitation and know how to exercise their rights and claim the wages they are entitled to. Being informed benefits both the client and the employer. It also reduces the risk of employment through bogus employment agencies.For example, my lawyer colleagues received a very kind thank-you letter from a client who, thanks to their help, had been paid by her employer for wages owed that had accrued for extra pay on Sundays or had arisen from being paid less per hour than agreed in the employment contract. The employer, upon receiving the claim for payment of the wages owed, wrote back to say that an error had been made and the wages owed had been duly paid.
Which information is crucial for people from other countries who are looking for a job in Slovakia or who want to start a business in Slovakia? What should they look out for?
Simona: In order for migrants to be able to work or do business in Slovakia, it is crucial for them to have accurate and truthful information about temporary residence for the purpose of employment, business or family reunification, and that they know what documents they need to submit to obtain temporary residence in Slovakia. They should check the information before applying. They should also check the employment agency offering them a job. We urge clients not to sign an employment contract that they do not understand. It is also useful for clients to know their basic rights as employees in Slovakia, such as overtime pay, night work or the right to annual leave.
Where can they find this information and who can they contact for advice?
Simona: Clients can find information on our website (www.mic.iom.sk), and we share important information on Telegram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Clients can also contact us by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 0850 211 478 or +421 2 5263 0023. If they want to come in person, they can find us in our regional offices in Bratislava, Košice, Trnava, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina, Banská Bystrica and Prešov.
What do clients of the Migration Information Centres consider to be the most important factor that will help them to get a job?
Simona: The key thing for clients is to learn the Slovak language. For highly qualified clients, the recognition of diplomas and the possibility to continue in their field is important.
Katarína Hudecová coordinates legal counselling and organizes workshops for Slovak employers who often need help with the administrative complexity of the process of hiring migrants. Photo © International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2023.
What are employers who are planning to hire people from abroad interested in and what do they contact the MIC with? How has the willingness to employ migrants changed?
Katarína: Due to demographic developments and the situation in the labour market in the Slovak Republic, employing citizens from EU countries, as well as from non-EU countries, is becoming a necessity for Slovak employers. Employers turn to the MIC quite often, as legislation in the field of employment of foreigners is complicated and subject to frequent changes.Employers are interested in the whole process of employing non-EU citizens, from reporting a vacancy to informing the labour office about employment. Most often, we encounter cases where an employer has already found a specific employee who exactly matches their requirements and then needs precise instructions on the steps they need to follow in order to start working for them legally. Employers are often surprised by the administrative and time-consuming nature of the whole process. At the MIC, we try to accommodate employers and therefore prepare training sessions where we explain the whole process to them in detail.
Read more about MIC's job counselling, safe work information sessions and Slovak language courses:
IOM strenghtens cooperation with and supports the Mongolian Community in Slovakia
People fleeing the war in Ukraine learn Slovak language to get a better chance for a new life
500 people from Ukraine learn Slovak in IOM language courses
IOM acts to help Ukrainian citizens navigate the Slovak labour market
MIC IOM: Giving migrants an opportunity to succeed in the Slovak labour market
With the support of:
Migration Information Centre to Support Integration of Migrants in Slovakia (phase X, Individual Project). This project is co-funded by the European Union from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). Home Affairs Funds.
IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) activities supporting the labour mobility and integration of migrants under the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic are funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
