Working time structure, Slovenia, 2016

Working time in Slovenia
From the employer’s perspective working time is a category which presents significant costs and is closely linked to the use of working capacities and hence to labour productivity. In Slovenia working time is defined by the Employment Relationship Act, namely as effective working time, break time and time of justifiable absence from work. The effective working time refers to the time during which the worker is at the disposal of the employer and carries out the obligations laid down in the employment contract; it also serves as a basis for calculating labour productivity.

More than three-quarters of the available working time spent on effective work
According to data of the Survey on Working Time Structure for 2016, persons in paid employment in Slovenia spent more than three-quarters (76.5%) of the available working time on effective work, nearly one-fifth (18.6%) in the form of absence from work, and the rest (4.9%) for meal break during work.

The structure of working time did not change significantly between 2012 and 2016 in spite of the fact that in 2016 there were fewer public holidays (non-working days) and more paid overtime hours than in 2012. Data show that the main reason for the stability of the share of the effective work hours in the available working time between the observed years can be attributed to more annual leave hours used in 2016 (especially in the private sector).

More than four-fifths of absence from work hours with wage compensation charged to employers, among which the main part applied to annual leave hours
In 2016 the largest part (98.3%) of effective work hours of persons in paid employment in Slovenia was (actually) worked during normal working hours, 1.6% was done as paid overtime hours (i.e. hours actually worked outside normal working time), while the remaining 0.1% applied to the time of layoffs, delays and interruptions at work. Almost all of absence from work hours had wage compensation, among them 81.6% were charged to employers and 18.4% to other organisations and bodies.

In 2016 most of the absence from work hours with wage compensation chargeable to employers (62.3%) were allocated to annual leave, 20.1% to public holidays (non-working days) and 13.9% to sick leave up to 30 days. Among absence from work hours charged to other organisations and bodies, sick leave longer than 30 days (42.1%) and parental leave (34.6%), which comprises maternity, paternity, adoption and child care leave, represented the largest part.

Among absence from work hours due to sick leave and other health reasons, sick leave up to 30 days prevailed (55.5%). The remaining 44.5% was charged to the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia; among them the highest share (85.1%) related to sick leave longer than 30 days, while the remaining part of these absences (14.9%) belonged to absence from work due to other health reasons.

In 2016 a person in paid employment spent on average on professional education and training, and study leave 0.2% and on special leave 0.1% of the available working time.

Share of the effective work hours in the available working time in the private sector higher than in the public sector, by the registered natural persons higher than by the legal persons, and in smaller companies higher than in larger companies
In spite of the fact that in 2016 persons employed in the public sector worked on average more paid overtime hours than persons employed in the private sector, the share of the effective work hours in the available working time in the private sector (77.8%) was much higher than in the public sector (74.1%). Data show that such difference in the mentioned shares can be attributed to several reasons, i.e. persons employed in the public sector were on average longer absent from work due to annual leave, parental leave, professional education and training, sick leave up to 30 days and other health reasons than persons employed in the private sector.

Similar differences can be observed also by the comparison of shares of the effective work hours in the available working time by the registered natural persons and the legal persons, i.e. in 2016 this share amounted to 80.0% by the registered natural persons and to 76.3% by the legal persons. Besides the reasons explaining the differences between the share of the effective work hours in the available working time between the public and the private sector, the important influence on the differences in these shares between the two types of observed legal entities can be attributed to the fact that persons employed by the registered natural persons were on average less time absent from work due to longer sick leave (i.e. longer than 30 days) than persons employed by the legal persons and to a lower share of the absence from work hours due to part-time hours (i.e. reduced working time) in the available working time.

From the overview of the working time structure by business entity’s size class (according to the number of persons in paid employment) it can be concluded that in 2016 the share of the effective work hours in the available working time decreased with the increase of the business entity’s size, even though the share of the paid overtime hours in the available working time was in large companies on average much higher than in small companies. Differences in the shares of the effective work hours in the available working time between business entities’ size classes can be attributed to the same reasons as they are explaining the differences in these shares between the registered natural persons and the legal persons.

The lowest share of the absence from work hours in the available working time in construction, the highest in mining and quarrying
As regards activities, in 2016 the lowest share of the absence from work hours in the available working time was observed in construction (16.0%) and the highest in mining and quarrying (23.8%).

Among the most important components of absence from work hours, the share of the annual leave hours in the available working time has to be mentioned; in 2016 this share was the highest in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (12.0%), followed by mining and quarrying (11.8%) and public administration, defence and compulsory social security (11.7%), and the lowest in administrative and support service activities (7.9%), followed by accommodation and food service activities (8.1%).

Among the other components of absence from work hours, which have an important impact on the share of the effective work hours in the available working time, in 2016 the highest shares of the sick leave hours up to 30 days (3.2%) and the sick leave hours longer than 30 days (3.8%) in the available working time were observed in mining and quarrying, the highest shares of the absence from work hours due to parental leave were observed in human health and social work activities (2.0%) and financial and insurance activities (1.9%), the highest share of the absence from work hours due to other health reasons was observed in public administration, defence and compulsory social security (0.6%), and the highest shares of the professional education and training hours were observed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (0.9%) and financial and insurance activities (0.7%).

In the survey it was also found out that in 2016 the highest shares of the paid overtime hours in the available working time were observed in human health and social work activities (3.8%) and mining and quarrying (2.3%).

Detailed data on working time structure for 2016 are published (by type of legal entity, institutional sector, section of activity, business entity’s size class and cohesion and statistical region) in the SI-STAT Database.