2018 a critical year for the car industry in Slovakia

The lack of qualified employees is the key factor deciding the level of competitiveness of the Slovak car industry this year, according to the Association of Automotive Industry (ZAP). Last year the output of car makers and their subcontractors accounted for 44 percent of Slovakia's industrial production and more than a third of its total exports. The association estimates that in the next three years Slovak industry will need around 45,000 new employees; mainly technical and vocational school graduates. "If we do not fix the problems with the qualification and requalification of the labour force to meet the needs of the market, the performance of the car industry cannot be maintained at a high level in the long run," warns association's head Juraj Sinay. Better cooperation with R&D centres and incentives for developing the infrastructure needed for electric cars are among car makers' priorities for this year too.