Prime Minister Janša at the 58th International Trade and Business Fair |Author KPV

He highlighted the more effective use of human potential as one of the key challenges: “We – the people – are the greatest asset for development,” he stressed.

The Prime Minister also explained the purpose of the Strategic Council for the Economy, which brings together representatives of the business community and experts, and makes it possible for proposals to reach decision-makers directly. “This is not a debate club,” he stressed. The Council, chaired by Marko Lotrič, operates through thematic working groups, covering areas ranging from taxation and competitiveness to debureaucratisation and digitalisation, and the Government expects it to put forward concrete proposals for the entire term of office.

“Rather than coordinating separately with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Craft and Small Business and other associations on their proposals, we have the Strategic Council for the Economy, where initiatives are coordinated and concrete proposals are prepared,” said Prime Minister Janša. These proposals can then serve as a basis for amendments to regulations and legislation.

The Prime Minister focused a significant part of his remarks on trends in public sector employment. He pointed out that the number of employees had risen from around 125,000 to approximately 196,000 since Slovenia gained its independence. According to Janša, part of this growth was justified by the establishment of an independent state, accession to the European Union and demographic changes, particularly increased needs in healthcare and social care.

However, he pointed out that digitalisation had not brought about the expected rationalisation in many areas. “In 1999, we were still in the analogue age; today we are in the digital age, yet despite better tools, many tasks still require multiple people to perform them.”

Given the acute labour shortage in the business sector, he argued that gradual restructuring is necessary. Some public-sector employees should gradually transition to the business sector, but he emphasised that this does not mean redundancies. “No one needs to lose their job. The restructuring process should be phased in gradually and managed sensitively.

In Janša’s view, more efficient use of the available workforce is one of the prerequisites for increasing productivity and living standards.

The Prime Minister highlighted reasonable tax burdens, the elimination of unnecessary bureaucracy and a stable business environment as key conditions for greater competitiveness. “You cannot keep changing things every year and expect the economy to keep adapting to new rules time and time again.”

He specifically addressed digitalisation and artificial intelligence. In his view, new technologies do not in themselves guarantee greater efficiency if they are introduced into systems that have not been properly organised in advance.

“If you simply introduce new tools into an existing structure without first optimising it, you will not achieve the desired effect. Therefore, the order must be clear: optimisation first, then digitalisation.”

As he added, such an approach is self-evident in the business sector, and the state must follow the same logic when introducing digital solutions and artificial intelligence.

The Prime Minister also devoted considerable attention to education. He pointed out that the number of people employed in education has increased significantly over the past decades, but, in his view, this has not been matched by comparable results.

He also highlighted the mismatch between the structure of the education system and the needs of the labour market. There is strong demand in Slovenia for skilled and educated workers. At the same time, the number of young people educated in certain fields exceeds the needs of the labour market, while other fields face labour shortages.

"The education system must take account of current needs and projected demand and adjust the enrolment of secondary school and university students in individual programmes accordingly," he said. According to the Prime Minister, restructuring education programmes is one of the tasks for the current term of office, although the effects of these changes will take several years to become apparent.

In his view, an even more significant change will come with the shift to lifelong learning. "People will no longer be able to expect to complete their education in their youth and then rely on the knowledge they acquired at that time to pursue their profession successfully throughout their lives."

The needs of modern society and the labour market are changing faster than ever before. The traditional education system will therefore need to be gradually supplemented or transformed into a system based on the continuous acquisition of new knowledge and competences. "I hope we will be among the first countries to implement such a change, rather than the last."

The Prime Minister also answered questions from the audience. Among other topics, he spoke about the situation in Slovenian agriculture and the challenges faced by young people taking over farms. He stressed that food production cannot be viewed solely in terms of economic indicators.

"Agriculture is not merely an economic sector, but also a strategic one." According to the Prime Minister, experience from past crises has demonstrated the importance of reliable domestic food and supply chains.

He highlighted two major challenges: the public perception of farming as a profession and excessive bureaucracy. Modern farming requires a high level of professional and technological expertise, which is why outdated perceptions of farming as a profession need to be overcome. At the same time, administrative barriers need to be reduced, including those faced by young people taking over farms, while the resilience of agriculture to droughts, storms, floods and other crises needs to be strengthened.

He also answered a question on support for start-ups and harnessing the potential of the single European market. He stressed that, despite the free flow of people, capital and knowledge, numerous administrative barriers remain in practice, limiting the growth of new and innovative companies in particular.

He also spoke about economic cooperation among Slovenian communities in neighbouring countries and around the world. According to the Prime Minister, around EUR 10 million has been earmarked for such initiatives within the current term of office. The funding is not intended to finance the establishment of companies directly, but primarily to foster connections between them and promote economic cooperation.

"We have moved a step beyond words. We may have not quite reached the implementation stage, but we are already discussing funding," he said, adding that the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad is giving particular attention to economic cooperation during the current term of office.

Finally, the Prime Minister stressed that Slovenia needs to improve productivity, create better conditions for doing business and use its limited human resources more efficiently in order to foster development. Achieving this will require cooperation between the state, the business sector and the education system, as well as the development of specific measures to enhance competitiveness and prosperity in the long term.