According to Boštjan Vasle, the acting director of government think-tank IMAD, the Slovenian economy has undergone a successful restructuring after the crisis. Companies that survived are more effective and healthier, he said.

Positive change was also brought about by certain measures in economic policies and simplification of the business environment, Vasle added.

However, demographic change and productivity could have a negative impact on long-term growth. In productivity, Slovenia lags behind comparable countries, he added.

Dušan Olaj, the founder of air dome maker Duol, and Aleksander Zalaznik, the head of the Manager Association, pointed out that increasing productivity was a process and could not be done overnight.

Zalaznik said that his company had made it its goal to increase productivity by 10% a year in 2009. Since then, soft measures such as better work organisation and training contributed 70% to increasing productivity and investment in automating production the rest.

He believes that low productivity entails lower pay, which is why trade unions should work to increase productivity.

A lack of suitable staff and few final products with recognisable brands were also pointed out as an issue of Slovenian businesses.