SOPK: Economy Still Has Momentum Despite Instability, But Education Misdirected

Bratislava, December 7 (TASR) - Despite the fact that Slovakia has had three governments in rapid succession and that the political situation has been unstable, the domestic economy has maintained good momentum in terms of statistics, but education does not reflect the needs of the market and focuses on areas that are not crucial for the economy, said head of the Slovak Chamber of Trade and Industry (SOPK) Peter Mihok on Thursday. In Mihok's opinion, the main problem in terms of further development is the workforce. "As far as the available workforce is concerned, we've reached the limits of what is possible in Slovakia, not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of its structure," he remarked. "The structure of education doesn't match the direction in which industry and the economy are heading. It must be said that without foreign labour we wouldn't be able to maintain a certain trend of development and standard of living in Slovakia. If we don't start investing in the future structure of the workforce, we will definitely end up badly," warned Mihok. The SOPK head noted that the chamber has clearly identified the areas in the government manifesto that are key for it. These include entrepreneurship, education and the need for the economy to be able to maintain its competitive edge. According to Mihok, the state should provide investment support in areas that the government and the business sector have jointly defined as promising for the future. "The private sector must have sufficient resources for investment because without investment we won't keep up with the world," he added. zel/df