Ljubljana, 07 February (STA) - The government adopted on Wednesday changes to the law on the employment of foreign workers to streamline the procedure to employ a foreigner in Slovenia.
The changes will simplify and shorten the procedure making it easier to prove to the national Employment Service that a number of criteria have been met.
Reliable companies with a high added value which will employ highly-skilled foreigners whose pay must at least match the average monthly gross pay in the country will benefit from the bill.
The government insists that every employer wanting to obtain a work permit for a foreigner be properly checked to provide for legal security of foreign workers.
However, the labour and economy ministries have established this does not make sense for companies with a high added value, Labour Ministry State Secretary Peter Pogačar told the press after the cabinet session.
According to him, these companies are reliable, pay their obligations on time, do not break the law, and the salaries they pay exceed the average pay 1.5 times.
He explained that such successful companies face a shortage of staff, adding the changes had been drafted in cooperation with businesses.
The new bill is related to a bill designed to encourage investment which will be on the parliament's agenda later this month.
The bill on investment will introduce two registers of companies: a register of companies with a high added value and a register of start-ups.
"It will define criteria under which a company can make it to one of these special lists," said the state secretary.