Andreja Šadl from Pertoča has been commuting to work across the border for three years now. She commutes 27 kilometers in one direction, occasionally even twice a day when her workday is split in two. When she found out that a hotel across the border was looking for help, she went to the interview not even knowing the language. "You have to live, and so I went. And I made it," says Andreja Šadl, who found the job through an acquaintance.

Two thousand new workers across the border every year
According to the Austrian Employment Service (AMS), 21.644 Slovenian citizens work in Austria. The figure keeps rising every year by at least two thousand people. More and more Slovenians even decide to move to Austria, explains Beate Sprenger from AMS. The number of male cross-border commuters is two times higher than the number for females. Compared to 2008, when there were only 5,901 Slovenian workers in Austria, the figure has now quadrupled.

"Only today I’ve had five people phone me"
Entire groups of people decide to go work across the border, explains Ksenija Vidali, who helps workers by organizing language courses and translating documents. “I also prepare them for the interviews. Only today I’ve had five people phone me to help them validate their medical certificates so that they can find jobs in the Klagenfurt area,” Ksenija Vidali told us in Maribor.

Entire groups of company employees want to go across the border
Medical nurses and doctors are among the most wanted professions across the border. That’s especially true for nurses, who find it very easy to get a job. The fear of working abroad vanishes with the salary figures and other benefits. “By working night shifts and weekends medical nurses quickly earn almost two thousand euros net. That’s twice more than in Slovenia. And it’s not only the salary, you also have other benefits. In Austria they also pay out a thirteenth and fourteenth salary which are tax-free,” explains Ksenija Vidali. Ever more older people also opt to go work across the border. Mrs. Vidali occasionally faces entire groups of company employees who want to work across the border.

Four months and a thousand euros
To complete all the paper work one needs from three to four months. The assistance for arranging all the documents and a language course cost around one thousand euros. Those that are unemployed can cover the costs once they receive their first cross-border salary. However, Vidali warns that many also return, especially from Germany, because of the cultural differences and high living costs – especially the rent which can go up to one thousand euros per month.