Occupations exempt from Slovenia's labour market test

For 19 occupations under the Standard Classification of Occupations, employing a third-country national in Slovenia does not depend on the state of the labour market. The Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia gives consent without examining whether the register of unemployed holds suitable persons. In these occupations an employer may hire at most 100 foreign nationals per calendar year.

Which occupations are on the list

The list is set by the Order determining occupations in which the employment of a foreign national is not tied to the labour market (Official Gazette RS, no. 200/20, as amended). Among its legal bases the Employment Service names twelve publications in the Official Gazette since 2020, which means the order is extended roughly every six months. The most recent amendment was published on 24 June 2026 and runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026, with the list of occupations unchanged.

The list mixes construction and metal trades, transport, catering and healthcare. That is not an arbitrary selection but a picture of the shortage the Employment Service measures in its own register. Because the list can change every six months, it is worth checking before each new hiring campaign rather than once a year.

Where the exemption stops

The absence of a labour market test is the only relief the order provides. Every other condition stands.

First, the ceiling. In the listed occupations you may hire at most 100 foreign nationals per calendar year. The limit applies per employer and per calendar year, not per post.

Second, the bilateral agreement exception. For workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia, form PDM-KTD is always mandatory, even for a welder or a driver on the list. The reason is procedural. The form starts the preliminary placement procedure through the employment service in the country of origin, so it cannot be skipped. How the form works and what follows the notice is set out in the guide to Slovenia's labour market test.

Third, the conditions on the employer side. The Employment Service still checks registration for the activity, active operation, settled tax obligations and a signed employment contract. The order removes none of these.

Fourth, the exemption attaches to the occupation code, not to the job title in the contract. The Employment Service assesses against the Standard Classification of Occupations, so the description of duties must match the code you cite. A post called production worker does not fall under code 7212 merely because the worker occasionally welds. A mismatch between title, duties and code is the most common reason the exemption is refused and the test is run anyway.

How much time and money it saves

The saving is measurable but smaller than employers expect. What falls away is the notice in five working days and the 30 day window for filing after it. The Employment Service still decides on consent within 15 days of receiving the application, and the administrative unit still issues the single permit. The fee remains 70.00 EUR, with a further 15.47 EUR for card production on collection at the office.

The order therefore removes one condition, not a procedure. Anyone who reads a place on the list as a promise that the worker will arrive within weeks will find that most of the timeline sits in issuing the document rather than in checking the register. A comparison with other jurisdictions is in the review of work permit timelines by country.

A second route exists under the order on activities and occupations in which foreign nationals may be employed faster. It applies to workers already residing legally in Slovenia and allows work to begin before the single permit is issued, in exchange for a Slovenian language obligation, covered in the guide to fast-track hiring. Werklist runs both procedures for employers in Slovenia, and the scope of that work is set out on the employers page.

The order is a labour market instrument, not a standing right. It is written half a year at a time because it is meant to follow the register. A hiring plan that assumes the list will look the same in twelve months is a plan built on a document that may not exist in that form.