News digest: More than 150,000 foreigners now work in Slovakia, with Asian recruitment rising

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WELCOME TO TODAY IN SLOVAKIA — a look back at the news from Thursday, 22 October.

In today’s digest:

• Slovakia’s foreign workforce tops 150,000.

• No appointments, endless queues. But not everyone at Slovakia’s Foreigners’ Police says no.

• Weekend: All that jazz. And a little sheep’s cheese.

THE HEAD-SCRATCHER: As Denník N reports, some candidates in Saturday’s local and regional elections have rather unusual campaigns. One mayoral candidate in Rožňava promises to dig a swimming pool with his own hands and personally lead patrols to fight crime. Another, in Zlaté Moravce, has created an online game in which players fly over the town on a pigeon, a nod to his surname. A candidate for a local council seat in Bratislava films himself eating burgers or cakes while complaining about liberals. And a former far-right leader running for mayor of Banská Bystrica filmed an African man selling carved figurines in the town, presenting him as a serious problem because he might not have paid for permission to use the pavement.

If you like what we’re doing and want to support quality journalism, please consider taking out an ad-free online subscription. Thank you – and welcome once again to Today in Slovakia. 

Vietnamese and Filipino workforce grows, EU worker numbers decline

Illustrative image. (source: Pixabay)

More than 150,000 foreigners were employed in Slovakia in September, with much of the recent increase coming from countries outside the European Union.

Vietnam and the Philippines stand out in the latest figures published by the Finance Ministry’s Institute for Financial Policy (IFP).

The number of Vietnamese workers has almost doubled since December 2025, while employment of Filipino nationals has risen by roughly two-thirds since the beginning of the year.

The Philippines is now among the eight largest countries of origin for foreign workers in Slovakia, having overtaken neighbouring Hungary.

Many agency workers end up in factories: Manufacturing remains the largest employer of foreigners in Slovakia, accounting for more than one-fifth of the foreign workforce.

Administrative and support services come second, although the figures do not necessarily show where people actually work.

More than 40 percent of foreign workers registered in this sector are employed through staffing agencies. Many are assigned to factories, warehouses or retail businesses rather than working in administrative jobs.

As a result, the official figures understate the role of manufacturing, logistics and retail in employing foreigners.

Foreign workers are also concentrated in transport, warehousing, retail and hospitality, where employers have faced persistent staff shortages.

Fewer workers from neighbouring EU countries: While recruitment from Asia is growing, employment of EU nationals has been declining over the longer term.

The number of Romanian workers is now approximately 52 percent below its historical peak. Employment of Hungarian nationals also remains below its previous high.

Workers from non-EU countries accounted for most of September’s increase in foreign employment, continuing a shift in the composition of Slovakia’s workforce.

Unemployment unchanged for six months: Slovakia’s unemployment rate remained at 6.1 percent in September, a level it has maintained since March.

The IFP also reported that mass redundancies had fallen sharply after reaching a record high in July, when several plants were closing.

More recent job cuts have affected business service centres. IBM and AT&T announced more than 360 redundancies in September, but only about a third of the affected employees registered with labour offices.

People who lost their jobs through mass redundancies account for roughly 1 percent of all registered unemployed people.

Meanwhile, the number of registered jobseekers finding employment reached its highest level since February 2024.

Catch up with The Slovak Spectator

• He feared his residence application would be rejected. Then a police officer helped

• NATO’s ‘false solidarity’: Fico says neutrality would better suit Slovakia

• Slovakia accelerates its nuclear pivot to the West

• Justice Ministry wants to make bankruptcy appointments more transparent by scrapping public exams

• Revúca’s military hero of two wars

• Weekend: Do you enjoy the feeling of chills running down your spine?

Also happening

• The Russian Embassy in Bratislava has publicly challenged an article in Denník N about the Holodomor, the Stalin-era famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932–33. The embassy disputed the famine’s specifically anti-Ukrainian character, partly blamed Western countries and linked the historical tragedy to Western military support for Ukraine today. Denník N challenged these claims using accounts by Russian historian Roy Medvedev, accusing the embassy of using the famine to promote Kremlin narratives about the current war.

• European prosecutors are investigating a suspected customs fraud scheme involving Chinese textiles and footwear that may have cost the EU more than €234 million in unpaid VAT and customs duties. Investigators say at least 50 suspects were involved, including customs officials, tax authority staff and police officers allegedly paid €12 million in bribes to facilitate fraudulent imports. Searches carried out on 20–21 October form part of an investigation into at least 3,681 allegedly falsified customs declarations filed between 2016 and 2019.

• President Peter Pellegrini has refused to appoint Filip Kuffa as environment minister, citing possible criminal wrongdoing, and asked Prime Minister Robert Fico to nominate someone else. However, Pellegrini previously defended senior officials facing criminal charges, including central bank governor Peter Kažimír and former acting parliamentary speaker Peter Žiga, citing the presumption of innocence. (Denník N)

• Slovaks are far more likely to see neighbours and volunteers than the state as the first to help when problems arise, according to a Focus survey. Some 62 percent named local people as the first to offer help, compared with 26 percent who mentioned local authorities, 25 percent non-profit organisations and only around 10 percent state institutions. The survey also found regional differences, with nearly three-quarters of respondents in the Banská Bystrica Region naming local people, compared with around half in the Prešov Region. (SITA)

• Slovakia’s new ambassador to South Africa, Manuel Korček, wants to strengthen trade and investment ties, particularly in energy, critical minerals and clean technologies. Bilateral trade reached nearly €264 million in 2025, while Slovak company Heneken Group took over a metallurgical plant near Johannesburg employing more than 250 people, marking the first Slovak investment in the country. Korček, who will also cover nine other African countries, will seek support for Slovakia’s bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat in 2028–2029. (TASR)

The wooden Church of St Anne in Tatranská Javorina on 22 October 2026. (source: TASR)

• Kia may end diesel engine production at its plant near Žilina by mid-2027, according to Hospodárske noviny, although the South Korean carmaker has not confirmed a final decision. Around 700 people work in the engine plant, which also produces petrol engines, but it is unclear how many jobs could be affected. The possible move comes as Kia shifts towards electric and hybrid vehicles, which accounted for more than half of its Slovak car production in the first half of 2026.

• Slovakia wants more business from CERN, the European particle physics research centre, where it has been a member since 1993. During CERN director-general Mark Thomson’s first official visit, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said 58 Slovak companies were registered as potential suppliers, with some already winning contracts worth millions of Swiss francs. Slovakia also backs CERN’s proposed Future Circular Collider, a particle accelerator more than three times the size of the Large Hadron Collider, with a decision on its construction expected in 2028. (TASR)

• Slovakia is reconsidering plans for a 62-kilometre oil pipeline linking the country to Austria’s Schwechat refinery, Economy Minister Denisa Saková said. The project, previously planned by Austria’s OMV and Slovakia’s state-owned Transpetrol, was shelved after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Saková now hopes to secure an exemption allowing EU funding for the pipeline, despite the European Commission’s reluctance to support fossil fuel projects, as well as for oil storage facilities and reverse-flow capacity with Czechia. (TASR)

• A rail strike remains a possibility after unions rejected a pay proposal at ŽSR, the state railway infrastructure operator. Management has now offered a €200 bonus in January 2027 and a 5-percent pay rise from July, which unions will consider, but strike readiness remains in place. Meanwhile, passenger train operator ZSSK has reached a deal with unions, including a €350 bonus, an additional €40 payment and a pledge not to lay off operational staff until the end of 2027. (SITA)

• Slovaks plan to spend an average of €257 on Christmas presents this year, compared with €306 in Czechia, according to an Ipsos survey for digital agency ui42. Around 40 percent expect to start shopping by the end of October, while one in five plans to spend less than last year. Although 57 percent have used AI to help choose or buy products, only 30 percent trust its recommendations, compared with 76 percnt who trust family and friends. (SITA)

Friday, 23 October - what to expect

• No events reported.

CLOCKS GO BACK ON SUNDAY: At 03:00, clocks move back to 02:00 as daylight saving time ends, giving us an extra hour of sleep.

DATES TO REMEMBER: 24 October – local and regional elections; 4-5 November – V4 presidents’ summit in Trenčín, joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; 5 November - Fico’s government will hold joint talks with its Ukrainian counterpart in Lviv.

Friday’s weather: Mostly sunny, cloudier later with isolated light rain. Highs of 10–17°C.

Name day on 23 October: Alojzia.

OFF THE CLOCK

MUSIC: Bratislava Jazz Days: Three-day jazz festival at Incheba Expo Arena, Bratislava. 23–25 October.

FILM: La Femme infidèle: French classic presented by the French Institute at Edison Filmhub, Bratislava. 18:30, Friday.

FILM: One in a Million: Documentary about a Syrian refugee growing up in Germany, followed by a discussion, at Kino Lumière, Bratislava. 17:15, Friday.

DESIGN: Bratislava Design Week: Exhibitions, workshops and talks at RD Račan, Bratislava-Rača. 23–25 October.

OPEN DAY: State Archives in Prešov: Open day at the state archives. 10:00, Friday.

TRADITION: Hubert’s Ride: Traditional end-of-season horse-riding procession in Košice. From 13:00, Friday.

DO YOU KNOW SLOVAKIA?

Answer to Wednesday’s question: Cleveland, Ohio.

Today’s question: Turnout in Slovakia’s local elections has fallen considerably since 1990. In which year did it reach its lowest level, and what percentage of voters cast a ballot?

Check out Monday’s digest for the answer.

That’s a wrap on day 295 of 2026. Thanks for reading The Slovak Spectator.

If you have suggestions on how our news digest can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk or at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk