Are young Slovenians leaving their country en masse?

8,654 people emigrated from Slovenia in 2015, most of them are young families

8,654 people emigrated from Slovenia in 2015, most of them are young families Foto: BoBo

“I got sick and tired of people complaining all the time but doing nothing to change the situation,” said Damir Zorčič about his decision to leave Slovenia. “In Mozirje, a plot of land costs twice as much as in Austria,” said Blanka Kroflič.

These are just two of the many reasons why more than eight thousand people emigrated from Slovenia in 2015.

Building a life abroad is not easy: You need to be self-reliant and find a new social network. According to Damir Zorčič, this can be a good thing. After working in the UK and the Netherlands, he found a job in Lithuania. “Is living abroad all peaches and cream? The answer is both yes and no. It’s not for everyone. If you don’t like people moving to your own country or if you don't like visits from strangers, you should reconsider moving abroad,” said Zorčič. He added that he only started living life to the fullest after he emigrated from Slovenia.

Plots of land cost half as much in Austria
The Slovenian part of Koroška (Carinthia) has a different problem. Stefan Visotschnig, the mayor of the Austrian town of Bleiburg, has been trying to attract young Slovenian families to Bleiburg. “We have an excellent railway infrastructure, we are located near a highway, we have affordable plots of land for sale, and there are many jobs to be had in our municipality,” said Visotschnig. Some expats even moved back to Slovenia – especially because of its excellent school system. However, in a bid to improve its demographic situation, the municipality of Bleiburg is offering cheap plots of land for sale. In the so-called Slovenian Village in the municipality of Bleiburg, only 11 plots of land are still available (out of a total of 64).

What does that mean in practice? “In my hometown, where I and my partner wanted to build a house, a 500 square meter plot of land cost 55 thousand euros. Here we paid 32 thousand for 1200 square meters, which is a world of difference," said Blanka Kroflič, adding that this was her primary reason to move abroad.

Slovenia expects decline in workforce
The Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) has warned that Slovenia is facing a demographic crisis, as the country’s workforce is shrinking, while the number of retired people is growing rapidly. “If our economy continues to grow at the current rate, we could see a workforce shortage within the next 5 to 7 years,” said IMAD head Boštjan Vasle.