As part of a cross-cutting performance audit, auditors from the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO SR) found that the current system does not allow a clear link to be established between completing a retraining course and securing employment. “This is becoming an increasingly recurring risk in the implementation of key public policies. Decision-making and the evaluation of strategic projects continue to suffer from a lack of reliable data. At the same time, there is no systematic monitoring of whether retraining course graduates are able to retain employment over the long term or whether they actually use the qualifications they have acquired in their jobs. The effectiveness of active labour market policy measures is currently assessed solely on the basis of whether a jobseeker has been removed from the unemployment register,” explained SAO President Ľubomír Andrassy, summarising the audit's key findings. He added that “such a one-dimensional indicator is insufficient not only for assessing the effectiveness of completed courses and their actual impact on employment, but also for making comprehensive improvements to labour market policy.”

During the audited period from 2018 to 2024, more than 7,600 retraining courses were delivered across Slovakia, with participation approved for over 60,000 individuals. Based on an analysis of available data obtained from the Ministry of Labour and the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, the national external audit institution concluded that at least one in ten graduates returned to the national unemployment register within six months of completing a retraining course. However, the available information did not make it possible to reliably determine how many participants completed a retraining course but never succeeded in leaving the unemployment register or finding a job.

As the SAO President pointed out, “the current system contains shortcomings that should be actively addressed through dialogue with all relevant stakeholders. For example, information systems should be configured to generate objective, real-time data not only on which graduates have found employment, but also on whether they have secured jobs in the field for which they were trained.” Mr Andrassy further stressed that, when assessing the effectiveness of active labour market policy instruments, it is equally important to evaluate how well retraining courses correspond to the needs of local and regional labour markets, including available vacancies and occupations facing labour shortages. “Only such a comprehensive system of evaluation and accountability will provide the public with confidence that both European and national resources are being used effectively and that training programmes are designed to improve the employability of vulnerable groups rather than merely to produce favourable statistics,” the SAO President concluded.

The largest share of retraining courses delivered during the audited period focused on basic economic and financial literacy and administrative skills, accounting for approximately 15% of all courses. Retraining programmes in the social services sector and transport each represented around 13%. Information technology and digital skills, which remain among the sectors facing the greatest labour shortages in Slovakia, ranked fourth with a 12% share. This category included courses covering office software, programming, cybersecurity, as well as basic digital literacy and computer skills. Among jobseekers, the greatest demand was for care worker training, security services qualifications, accounting courses and programmes leading to a Category C driving licence.

The national auditors also identified risks related to the financial settlement of retraining activities, particularly in the determination of hourly rates for individual courses. More than one thousand courses were reimbursed at an hourly rate of approximately EUR 1.13. By contrast, around twenty courses received more than EUR 60 per hour, despite having an average duration of only 22 hours. In its final audit report, the national external audit institution concludes that Slovakia's retraining system is effective overall. It also highlights as an example of good practice the active cooperation between the Ministry of Labour, which is responsible for labour market policy, the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family as the implementing body, and the non-governmental expert partner, the Alliance of Sectoral Councils.