Ljubljana, Sep 19 (IANS) The Slovenian parliament has approved a pension reform that will gradually raise the statutory retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2035, in a move aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the country’s pension system.
Under the new law, individuals with 40 years of employment will still be able to retire early, but not before the age of 62, compared with the current threshold of 60, Xinhua News Agency reported.
“The number of employees per retired person is declining due to longer life expectancy and lower birth rates, which is why we must act to extend working life,” Labour Minister Luka Mesec told lawmakers ahead of the vote.
The reform was adopted with 49 votes in favour and one against.
The centre-left government of Prime Minister Robert Golob has prioritised key reforms ahead of the regular parliamentary election scheduled for March or April next year.
On August 25, Slovenia’s Statistical Office said that country’s unemployment rate fell to a historic low of 3.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2025.
The figure was down from 4 per cent in the first quarter and 3.4 per cent in the same period of 2024. The number of unemployed stood at 33,000 in April-June, a 7.1-per cent decline year-on-year, the office said.
Amid record-low joblessness, companies are increasingly relying on foreign workers, whose share in the total workforce climbed to 16.1 per cent in June, the highest on record.
The number of employed foreign citizens rose 14 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, with about half coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the data showed.
A report by the National Employment Service noted that most new vacancies were in manufacturing, construction, cleaning, and hospitality.
On August 5, Slovenia’s Employment Service reported that country’s registered unemployment fell by 1.3 per cent year-on-year in July, even as the monthly figure rose temporarily due to seasonal factors.
Official data show that 43,799 individuals were unemployed in July. Nearly 5,600 people entered the register during the month, 6.6 per cent fewer than in July 2024. Meanwhile, 4,163 individuals were removed, most of whom found new jobs.
About half of the newly registered unemployed had their fixed-term contracts expire, a common summer trend in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and construction.
Despite a 3.3-per cent month-on-month increase, unemployment remained lower year-on-year in most regions, except for Maribor, Ljubljana, and Koper, which saw slight upticks.
–IANS
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