Auto firms look to immigration as cure for labour shortage.

(From The Slovak Spectator)

Byline: Marta Iurianova Spectator staff

Automotive - School system needs to address lack of technical graduates, companies say THE SHORTAGE of available labour in certain technical professions has some auto industry companies thinking about importing workers from the east, and talking of the need to rethink Slovakias immigration policy to meet the needs of industry.

The problem, they say, is twofold: Slovakias schools are not responding to developments on the labour market, while ever more investors are coming to Slovakia in search of an ever small pool of talent.

"We now have four companies in Slovakia [in the Matador group] operating in the automotive sector," Rudolf Rusnak, vice-president of the automotive division of the Slovak-owned Matador company, told The Slovak Spectator.

"We feel a great shortage [of labour] mainly in the western part of the country, especially in Bratislava, and especially in trades such as metal workers, welders and technical engineers.

" Rusnak said Slovakia needed to change its education system to produce more skilled labourers, increase labour productivity and, if necessary, import labour from abroad.