A ManpowerGroup survey shows 21% of companies plan to hire in 3Q while 27% plan layoffs. The net labor market index fell sharply to -6 from +3 in 2Q26 and +16 in 3Q25, driven by subdued domestic and foreign demand. The automotive sector posts an index of +8. The steepest drop occurred in communications services, which fell to -32 from +1 in the previous quarter. (hnonline.sk)

The government is considering cuts to two fees included in final electricity prices: the system operation tariff (TPS) and the system services tariff (TSS). The Czech government eliminated TPS for this year at a cost of €700m to its state budget. In Slovakia, TPS funds subsidies for green energy sources and amounts to €400–600m annually, with businesses paying 60% of that. TSS funds ancillary services. No decision on the fees has been taken. (hnonline.sk)

Co-owners Milan Lechnický and František Toman have bought out the 30% stake in advertising agency Istropolitana held by global WPP holding after 14 years, making the agency independent from the Ogilvy network. (hnonline.sk) The agency is one of the largest in Slovakia, with €5.2m in revenue in 2024.

CSG group (Michal Strnad) is seeking permits for a €31m investment to triple production capacity at its Snina plant, which manufactures metal ammunition bodies. Capacity at the plant, jointly owned with the state, will rise to 330,000 units annually and headcount will nearly double to 400. The ammunition bodies are shipped to the Dubnica nad Váhom plant, which recently doubled its production capacity to 280,000 rounds thanks to a €100m investment. At the former Chemko Strážsk

For the first time in 2024, the number of Slovaks returning home from abroad significantly exceeded the number leaving, the Institute for Financial Policy noted. Some 19,000 people left the country while 27,000 returned. Reasons for returning vary, with loneliness and high living costs predominating. The return rate of Slovaks who have emigrated exceeds 50% over a ten-year horizon. Departures abroad remain concentrated among young people, often university students. Brain drai

The new hospital in Prešov will cost €720m, Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák said. The underground military section cost €60m, the above‑ground structure is set to cost €540m, and medical equipment €100–120m. (pravda.sk) Kaliňák says construction work has resumed after he terminated the contract with the original Hungarian consortium over poor‑quality concrete. The Defense Ministry signed a €256m contract with In Vest (2024 revenues: €92m), which finished second in the origina

Sladovňa Michalovce (Lapišák family) posted a 6% annual decline in net profit to €2.4m last year, with revenue down 20% to €26.4m. One of Slovakia's largest malt producers, it has annual output of 65,000 tons and exports nearly all of it, primarily to Poland, Hungary, and Romania. Lower malt prices drove last year's revenue decline. The company faced 40% rise in labor costs over the past four years due to minimum wage hikes, various surcharges, and taxes. It expects improved

Slovakia has its worst rating in the past 20 years, and improving it requires accelerating fiscal consolidation and competitiveness and enhancing the quality of institutions, according to the fiscal responsibility council RRZ. Joining the EU and NATO, adopting the euro, reforms, investment inflows, and growing investor confidence previously improved the rating, but later governments focused only on increasing social benefits, and the Slovak rating became below average within

The gross average wage in the Czech economy was 22% higher than in Slovakia in the first quarter, at €2,076 vs. €1,611, data from the national statistical offices shows. The Czech nominal wage rose by 8.1% annually, and the Slovak one by 6.1%, meaning the gap continues to widen. According to Eurostat, the Czech wage was 57% of the EU average last year, and the Slovak one was 44%. (tnlive.sk) The gap reflects not only the more sophisticated Czech economy, but also the fact tha

"Slovakia does not need wind farms," said PM Robert Fico. The government will designate zones where wind turbines can be built more easily, but only to meet a Recovery Facility milestone and no actual permits are planned. Slovakia generates 86% of its electricity without CO2 emissions, and intermittent sources require high investment in transmission infrastructure and grid-balancing services. The coalition has already passed legislation requiring wind farms to obtain municipa