mployers have given the Employment Service an average grade of 3,8 on a scale from 1 to 5. A total of 3.591 employers took part in the survey commissioned by the Employment Service of Slovenia.

In order to improve its given grade, the Employment Service has put together a number of measures to help reduce the number of unemployed and help employers find the staff they actually need.

Employment Service agents visit employersAccording to the Acting director of the Employment Service, Mavricija Batič, the agency has already started preparing joint programs, tailoured to the needs of certain employers, and adjusted the program contents for facade builders, metal workers and meat salesmen to name a few.

Employment Service agents have visited more than 1,900 employers on the field this year already. Until the end of the year they plan to visit another 500. "We work differently now. Specially trained representatives of the Employment Service, working out on the field, go visit a company with a job opening. That way the employer, apart from announcing the job opening, is also helped with information about recruiting the most suitable candidate. Later we keep following the employer’s progress, when we ask whether we have fulfilled their expectations," is how Mavricija Batič described the service's active approach.

The all-important competence
»The labour market is changing – formal education is becoming less important, while competence is becoming increasingly important,« adds Mrs. Batič. Very often companies find it difficult to find suitable candidates on the market on their own. That is why the Employment Service has prepared the first counseling meeting with employers from all over Slovenia, in order to get feedback on their expectations and experience with the workers sent to them by the Employment Service. Together with the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce they plan to hold an open day event in November in certain companies with workers in shortage occupations. On Thursday they're preparing an international job fair in Kranj. The Acting head of the Employment Service also boasted on having a unified web portal for employers.

52 thousand people found jobs this year
The figures are also stimulating. In the first eight months of the year 52 thousand people, from all unemployment categories, found jobs. That is 16,6 percent more than in the same period last year. Youth employment, for those not older than 29, has also risen by a quarter compared to the same period last year. People are finding jobs in the metal industry, in smaller building companies, shops, while international freight drivers are also on demand.

The new minister wants a proactive service
Batič says she hasn't met the new Labour Minister yet. During her presentation the minister announced a more proactive approach from the Employment Service and stronger work on the field.

Employer representatives confirmed to journalists that they are satisfied with the more open work policy by the Employment Service. The board member of Revoz, Franci Bratkovič, said their cooperation with the service was good, as this year the company employed around 400 new workers. He said he was in favour of putting more emphasis on the market approach – and that we would only count our successful examples. In other words, to prepare a candidate that well so that he/she actually becomes an active job seeker.

Bratkovič reminded that it has happened in the past for many to be registered at the Employment Service only for the sake of receiving financial benefits, while not actively in search for a job.

Companies need specific staff
After six months of searching unsuccessfully for specific staff, the Employment Service decided to help the Halcom company with the Career challenge project. Halcom, a company into developing IT program solutions for banks in places like Qatar, Iran and Morocco, was in search of staff with knowledge and competence in the IT and banking sectors, representational skills, as well knowledge of the English and French languages.

Halcom commends the Employment Service
"In a months' time we employed a new colleague, which now heads our product marketing division. Our example is completely different than the perception employers have had about the service so far: I was thrilled by the quality, speed, responsiveness and professionalism of the team," is how Marko Kostelec from Halcom commended the work of the Employment Service. However employers notice that you can find really expeditious, and at the same time really slow teams in the public sector. "The business community would like to have more teams which are able to turn around more quickly, listen better to what we need, and fulfill our needs expeditiously," added Kostelec.