Pahor stressed in his address that this conference was proof that Slovenia recognizes the opportunities that digital transformation offers. He said he believes that the fourth industrial revolution, also known as ‘digital transformation’, is a fascinating development. He highlighted that “65 percent of today’s first-graders will end up working in a job that doesn't exist yet.”

Pahor also pointed out that the government has already implemented a number of measures aimed at boosting the country’s digital economy. His views were echoed by Public Administration Minister Boris Koprivnikar, who stressed that Slovenia has the necessary expertise and resources to drive a digital transformation. He added that the government needs to improve the country’s business environment as well as the lives of its citizens.

Too much red tape
In practice, the path to Slovenia’s digital transformation is fraught with great challenges. Many of the conference participants, among them young entrepreneur Urška Sršen, bemoaned that there is too much red tape in Slovenia: “Red tape makes it too difficult to start a business. At the same time, the country is not competitive enough to attract foreign capital.”

A number of other participants, among them Microsoft’s General Manager for Services in Central and Eastern Europe Matej Potokar, lamented that universities are not delivering what is needed to drive Slovenia’s digital transformation.

Peter Pogačar, the state secretary at the Labour Ministry, said that digitalization will have a major impact on tomorrow’s job market. “We will lose many low-skilled jobs but other jobs will be created instead. We will need a highly qualified workforce for these new jobs.”

Robert Škrjanc, Radio Slovenija; translated by D.V.