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Slovak Workers Largely Unaware of Pay Rules, Survey Finds
🇸🇰 Slovakia /Economy & Trade

Slovak Workers Largely Unaware of Pay Rules, Survey Finds

From SME · (8m ago) Slovak Critical tone

Translated from Slovak, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A survey by Platy.sk found that nearly half of Slovak employees lack information about salaries within their companies, and most are unaware of the rules governing their compensation.
  • Only a quarter of respondents know the salary ranges for specific positions, and just 14% understand the criteria for determining wages.
  • While 45% view pay transparency positively, a new EU-driven law in Slovakia aims to increase transparency, with companies needing to implement clear pay structures by July 2026.

A recent survey conducted by the popular salary portal Platy.sk has shed light on a significant lack of transparency regarding compensation in Slovakia. The findings are stark: almost half of the working population has virtually no access to information about salaries within their companies, and a majority are completely in the dark about the rules that dictate their pay. This pervasive lack of knowledge extends to specific salary ranges for positions, with less than a quarter of respondents aware of them, and even fewer, a mere 14%, understanding the criteria used to set wages. The disparity in pay between men and women is even more obscure, with only about 2% of workers having access to such data.

A large part of employees in Slovakia do not know according to what rules they receive their salary, and practically no one has access to information about gender pay differences.

— Miroslav Dravecký, Product Manager at Platy.skThis quote summarizes the key findings of the survey regarding the lack of salary information and gender pay gap awareness.

Despite this opacity, the survey indicates a strong desire for change. A significant 45% of respondents view increased pay transparency positively, and a resounding 76% would welcome greater openness in remuneration practices, with only a small 5% expressing opposition. This sentiment is particularly pronounced among women, with nearly a third believing gender-based pay gaps exist in their companies, compared to only 14% of men. Furthermore, only about a third of women consider their compensation fair, versus 44% of men.

Almost a third of women think that there are differences in remuneration between genders in the company, while only 14 percent of men stated this.

— Platy.sk surveyThis highlights the differing perceptions of gender pay inequality between men and women in Slovakia.

This situation is poised for a shift with new legislation, stemming from an EU directive, set to take effect in Slovakia in June 2026. This law mandates that companies establish clear remuneration structures by the end of July 2026. From a Slovak perspective, this is a crucial step towards rectifying long-standing issues of pay inequality and lack of transparency. While Western European countries may have had these discussions for longer, for many Slovaks, the upcoming legislation represents a tangible move towards fairer workplaces and a more equitable distribution of earnings. The findings from Platy.sk underscore the urgent need for this legal reform, highlighting how deeply ingrained the lack of salary information has become in the Slovak employment landscape.

44 percent of men consider remuneration to be fair, but only about a third of women.

— Platy.sk surveyThis quote indicates a significant difference in how men and women perceive the fairness of their compensation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by SME in Slovak. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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