Ljubljana - In 2020 Slovenian employees spent 68.7% of their available working time effectively working, while absence from work accounted for 26.9% of their working time and meal breaks 4.4%, the Statistics Office has reported.

The effective working time of employees in Slovenia amounted to 69% in the private sector and 67% in the public sector.

The working time structure has changed drastically since 2016, when absence from work represented 18.6% of total working time, mostly due to the measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically shortened working hours and furlough.

Over 98% of work hours were done in the standard working hours, and 1.6% were done as overtime work.

Almost all hours of absence were covered by wage compensation - 83% were at least in part reimbursed by employers, and the remaining hours by other organisations and bodies.

Hours of absence that were at least partly reimbursed by employers were the annual leave (42%) and furlough as a Covid-19 measure (31.3%), followed by national holidays and sick leaves shorter than 30 days (9.4% each).

Most hours of absence reimbursed by other organisations and bodies were sick leaves over 30 days (39.2%) and parental leave (31.2%).

The share of hours of absence was the highest in the hospitality industry (45.9%), followed by art, entertainment and recreation (34.7%). In those sectors the main reasons for the absences were the preventive measures, amounting to 31% and 15.6% of available working time, respectively.

The share of hours of absence was the lowest in the information and communication sectors (20%).