More than 100 company representatives participated in the AHK Slovenia survey, making the results a representative insight into the assessment of the business environment and the plans of the German economy in Slovenia. At the same time, the survey enables a comparison of how Slovenia is evaluated as a business destination within the wider CEE region, as the survey was conducted simultaneously at 15 AHK locations across the region.
Speakers:
Dr. Gabriele Rose, President and CEO of AHK Slovenia
Evelyn Kassel, Managing Director, MAN Truck & Bus Slovenija d.o.o.
Jürgen Deischl, Managing Director, Fraport Slovenija d.o.o.
Andrej Šafarič, Head of Legal and Compliance, Bayer d.o.o. Slovenia
Katja Stadler, CEO, AHK-Deslo poslovne storitve d.o.o.
The results of the latest survey, conducted by AHK in March 2026, were presented today by the President of AHK Slovenia, Dr. Gabriele Rose.
Overview of Key Findings
The mood among surveyed companies in Slovenia deteriorated significantly in spring 2026 compared to the previous year. Economic and sectoral outlooks are marked by pessimism, employment expectations have worsened considerably, and loyalty to Slovenia as a business location has reached a historic low. At the same time, costs remain persistently high, while the business environment continues to be characterised by structural shortcomings. Additional pressure is being created by geopolitical uncertainty and the weak economic recovery of Germany, Slovenia’s most important trading partner.
These are the key findings of the survey:
• General economic pessimism is at its highest level in recent years: only 9% of companies expect an improvement in economic conditions, while 53% expect a deterioration.
• Companies’ own business performance remains relatively stable, but under pressure: 31% of companies assess their current situation as good.
• Employment expectations have deteriorated significantly: the employment indicator dropped from –2 points last year to approximately –10 points. Only around 20% of companies plan new hiring, while nearly 30% are planning to reduce the number of employees.
• Pressure on wages is increasing considerably: 89% of companies expect labour costs to rise, with one third of them anticipating increases between 6% and 10%.
• Labour costs remain the biggest business risk: 64% of companies cite them as a key challenge, followed by uncertainty in economic policy (54%) and energy prices (48%).
• Loyalty to Slovenia as a business location is declining sharply: only 59% of companies would choose Slovenia again as an investment location (compared to 80% last year), while 31% are considering relocation within the Adriatic region.
• Slovenia is losing competitiveness compared to Central and Eastern European countries: it ranks 12th out of 14 countries in terms of location factors, 13th in economic outlook, and last in employment plans.
• Changes in global trade are being felt in Slovenia, though not above average: 61% of companies report higher costs due to geopolitical changes, placing Slovenia close to the CEE regional average.
• Economic policy remains the key area requiring action: 83% of companies are calling for a reliable and predictable economic policy as a top government priority.
