Overview

With more than 3,000 companies employing more than 20,000 people, Slovenia’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector presents numerous opportunities for investment and partnerships.  Slovenia is home to well-developed IT companies with established services and R&D capability.  Information systems outsourcing has grown to become the largest market in Slovenia, followed by systems integration and hardware support.  IT services sales in 2022 were strongest in the finance, insurance, automobile, retail trade, and government sectors.  There are also vibrant start-up and entrepreneurial communities with young companies seeking investment and joint venture opportunities. 

According to Slovenia’s Statistical Office, one in four enterprises provided training to develop e-skills in 2021, while 34 percent of enterprises with at least 10 employees employed ICT specialists.  Six percent of enterprises recruited or tried to recruit ICT specialists in 2020, and 59 percent of such vacancies were difficult to fill.

Slovenia’s cyber security market continues to expand as well, largely in response to the rapidly changing nature of threats and vulnerabilities to businesses and government.  Industry representatives forecast a continued need for security services, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  The market for security software grew by 18 percent in 2022, with growth expected to continue through 2023.  The Slovenian government has identified digitalization as a priority for its national recovery and resilience plan, allocating at least 20 percent of the EUR 2.5 billion funds requested from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.  These efforts will drive demand in the ICT sector for the foreseeable future. 

The cloud computing sector is the IT industry’s fastest growing segment, growing by 35 percent in 2021.  In 2021, more than 48 percent of enterprises with 10 or more employees purchased cloud computing services such as e-mail, computer software, electronic file storage space, and computing power, up from 15 percent in 2014.  Such services are purchased primarily by large enterprises, followed by medium-sized and small enterprises.  Slovenia’s Chamber of Commerce projects the potential for up to 3,000 new IT jobs in Slovenia through the next year, due primarily to cloud solutions targeting the public sector and SMEs.  The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the ICT sector in various ways, with new projects related to remote connectivity and secure communication witnessing large growth, while other projects within the private and public sectors put on hold indefinitely. 

 (Source: Statistical Office of Slovenia; Chamber of Economy; estimates based on top 10 IT firms’ directors)

Leading Sub-Sectors

•              Planning and implementation of communicating networks

•              Broadband infrastructure

•              Security systems

•              E-banking

•              CMS software

•              Software systems for back-up files

•              IT Solutions

•              Logistics

Opportunities

Slovenia’s Ministry of Public Administration has allocated EUR 38 million to develop a cloud computing system.  The best opportunities for U.S. software sales in Slovenia include internet systems engineering, application development, consulting, database and communications software/office automation, security, systems integration, archiving, content and document management, and business intelligence.  Primary end-users are industry, financial services, public administration, trade, health, energy, production, distribution, and electronic banking. 

Resources

Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Kotnikova 5, SI- 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

E-mail: gp.mg@gov.si   

Ministry of the Interior, Stefanova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

E-mail: gp.mnz@gov.si

Ministry of Public Administration, Trzaska 21, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Email: gp.mnz@gov.si

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Dimiceva 13, 1504 Ljubljana, Slovenia

        E-mail: info@gzs.si 

U.S. Commercial Service

Matjaž Kavčič, Senior Economic Commercial Specialist

Phone: +386 1 200 5644

Fax: +386 1 200 5555

E-mail: DoingBusinessinSlovenia@state.gov