• Employment contract

• Fixed term

The Labour Code contains certain limitations in respect to the employment contract concluded for definite period of time. Such contracts can be concluded for a maximum of two years and it is possible to extend them or conclude them again only twice within these two years. The limited duration (i.e. definite period) of the contract must be agreed in writing in the contract, otherwise the contract is deemed to be concluded for indefinite period.

• With an indefinite period — major type of employment.

Besides an employment contract, the Labour Code recognizes three other contract types:

• Work performance contract,
• Work activities contract and
• Temporary student job contract.

The maximum weekly working time is 40 hours, employees working on the basis of a two-shift system may work up to 38.75 hours per week and employees working on a three-shift system or who are involved in continuous operation may work up to 37.5 hours per week.

Employer must make sure that employees receive two consecutive rest days per week including Sunday and either Saturday or Monday. Employees must be given a rest break of at least 30 minutes if their working day is longer than six hours. Daily rest periods should not be shorter than twelve hours.

Overtime is limited to a total of 150 hours per year – 250 hours for employees working in healthcare – and must be paid at a rate of 125% of the employee’s salary.

In Slovakia, both employer and employee contribute to mandatory benefits from monthly salaries:

• Additional vacation days
• Group life insurance
• Vacation vouchers: Employee after 24 months of service may receive reimbursement of up to 275€ net per year.
• Meal allowance: employers often provide food canteen for the employees where meals are fully paid by the company or at least cover most of the cost.
• Transportation allowance: paid by employer 0,13 EUR per kilometer. If the distance from home is more than 10 km one-way. The upper limit for the evaluation is 150 km, resp. 300 km/day.
• Annual bonus / 13^th salary: additional 50% of one-month base salary, usual paid in November payroll cycle.
• Company car.

Employees are entitled for paid sick leave in Slovakia as follows:

• First three days: 25% of employee’s base pay rate, covered by employer.
• From day 4 to day 10: 55% of employee’s base pay rate.

Sickness benefits are quite generous in certain circumstances. If an employee needs to take care of a close relative or a female employee transfer to a lesser paid position due to medical reasons during pregnancy, they will receive 55% of their daily income.

Employees who have been engaged with the same employer for at least 60 days are entitled to a minimum of four weeks of annual leave – five weeks for employees over 33 and those with children.

In addition, Slovakia’s labor law observes 15 public holidays  on which employees are generally not required to work. If the nature of the work requires work on holidays, the employee is entitled to double pay.

Maternity leave can be taken for a period of up to 34 weeks – 37 weeks for single mothers and 43 weeks in a case woman gives birth to two or more children at the same time. A female employee can start her maternity leave up to eight weeks prior to the expected due date. Maternity benefits are paid by the Social Insurance Agency and amount to 75% of the employee’s usual daily wages.

Slovakia’s immigration system provides several options for employers of foreign nationals. Slovakia ​is a member of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Area. If you have a higher education qualification and a contract or binding offer of work in Europe, then you may be eligible for a Blue Card. Once you have one, a Blue Card entitles you to work anywhere in the EU (apart from Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom).

Work Visa permits:

• Type-A permit allows you to work for any employer in Slovakia for an unlimited period of time. In order to be granted a Type-A work permit you must have lived and worked in Slovakia on a Type-B permit for a minimum of 4 years. The 4 year
• Work requirement is shortened to 3 years for nationals of the following countries: Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Croatia.

Type-B permit is valid for one employer and runs for one year, after which it can be renewed (by the same employer, usually for the same job or job classification). If you change employers, your new employer must apply for a new B permit — in which case you may need to return to your home country and re-apply for a residence visa before you can start your new job. Jobs filled using a Type-B work permit must pay a minimum of €39,802.

Once you have lived and worked in Slovakia for 4 years on the same permit, you can receive an unlimited A permit.

• Type-C permit is valid for only one year, allowing the holder to work for multiple employers. This is usually issued to temporary migrant agricultural or domestic workers, or to those whose length of stay in Slovakia is unconfirmed, such as asylum seekers. Type-C can be renewed.

An employment relationship can be terminated by :

1 Agreement, The agreement on the termination of the employment relationship must be concluded in writing. The contract must state the reasons for the termination of the employment relationship, if the employee requests it or if the employment relationship was terminated by agreement for the following reasons:

• the employer being wound-up or relocated while the employee does not agree with the change of the agreed place of work.
• the employee becoming redundant.
• the employee’s health condition causing long-term loss of ability to do the present work, or he mustn’t perform it due to an occupational disease or due to a threat of this disease, or the employee has reached the highest permissible exposure within the workplace.

1 Notice: Where notice has been given, the employment terminates upon expiration of the notice period. The notice period is at least 1 month unless the law stipulates otherwise. The length of the notice period is at least one month and is usually defined in the employment contract.

2 Notice given by the employer; An employer may only give notice to an employee for the following reasons:

• the employer being wound-up or relocated while the employee does not agree with the change of the agreed place of work;
• employee becoming redundant.
• the employee no longer complies with the requirements pursuant to special regulations.
• the employee no longer fulfils the requirements for the proper performance of the work determined by the employer in internal regulations.
• the employee does not carry out work duties in a satisfactory manner.
• there are reasons on the part of the employee for which the employer is entitled to terminate the employment immediately.
• the employee’s health condition according to medical assessment causing long-term loss of ability to do the present work or he mustn’t perform it due to an occupational disease or due to a threat of this disease, or the employee has reached the highest permissible exposure within the workplace. Failure of the employee to meet preconditions set by legal regulations to perform the agreed work;

3 Notice given by the employee; An employee may give notice to an employer for any reason or without giving a reason.

4 Immediate termination or termination in the probationary period. A fixed-term employment relationship also terminates upon the expiry of the agreed period. Employment relationship of a foreigner also terminates upon cancellation of the granted residence, expiry of the period for which the residence was granted, withdrawal or expiry of a work permit.

If the reason for employment relationship termination is clearly stated in the agreement, the person is entitled to severance pay. The reason must be either the dissolution of the employer, its relocation if you do not agree with the change in the agreed location for performance of work, or the redundancy of the employee. Otherwise, you can´t claim the severance to be paid. 

The severance pay depends on the length of the employment relationship:

• 1x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted less than 2 years),
• 2x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 2 years and less than 5 years),
• 3x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 5 years and less than 10 years),
• 4x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 10 years and less than 20 years),
• 5x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 20 years).