Slovenia: manufacturing productivity, cost and AI adoption in 2026 data
The most manufacturing-intensive and most productive of the seven CEE countries we track, the only one above the EU rate of AI use in factories, and the most expensive per hour.
Key figures: Slovenia vs EU-27
| Indicator | Slovenia | EU-27 | Dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing gross value added, 2025 (EUR bn, current prices) | 13.3 | 2,668.8 | nama_10_a10 |
| Change in manufacturing value added, 2024→2025 | +2.3% | +2.0% | nama_10_a10 |
| Manufacturing share of total gross value added, 2025 | 21.1% | 15.8% | nama_10_a10 |
| Manufacturing employment, 2025 (thousand persons; 2024 in brackets) | 218.3 (222.3) | 29,901.6 (30,116.5) | nama_10_a10_e |
| Manufacturing enterprises, all sizes, 2023 | 21,262 | 2,168,163 | sbs_ovw_act |
| Value added per manufacturing worker, 2025 (EUR thousand, nominal) | 61.0 | 89.3 | our calculation, nama_10_a10 / nama_10_a10_e |
| Labour productivity per hour, whole economy, 2025 (PPS, EU-27 = 100; 2024 in brackets) | 86.2 (84.1) | 100 | tesem160 |
| Hourly labour cost in manufacturing, 2023 / 2024 / 2025 (EUR) | 26.0 / 27.8 / 29.8 | 32.1 / 33.8 / 35.0 | lc_lci_lev |
| Change in hourly labour cost, 2023→2025 | +14.6% | +9.0% | lc_lci_lev |
| Manufacturers (10+ employees) using at least one AI technology, 2025 (2024) | 22.7% (21.6%) | 17.3% (10.6%) | isoc_eb_ain2 |
| All enterprises (10+) using AI, 2025 (2024) | 21.6% (20.9%) | 20.0% (13.5%) | isoc_eb_ai |
| Enterprises with at least basic digital intensity (DII v4), all sectors, 2024 | 68.5% | 73.7% | isoc_e_dii |
| Job vacancy rate in manufacturing, 2025 (2024) | 2.1% (1.9%) | 1.5% (1.8%) | jvs_a_rate_r2 |
| Electricity price, industrial band 2,000–19,999 MWh, excl. VAT, 2025-S2 (EUR/kWh) | 0.173 | 0.192 | nrg_pc_205 |
Source: Eurostat, dataset codes in the last column. Value added per worker is our calculation (gross value added ÷ employed persons). Labour cost is in EUR and includes exchange-rate effects.
Sector mix: the top five branches
| # | Branch | Value added (EUR m) | Share of manufacturing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabricated metal products | 1,876 | 15.0% |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical products | 1,592 | 12.8% |
| 3 | Electrical equipment | 1,215 | 9.7% |
| 4 | Machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 1,070 | 8.6% |
| 5 | Rubber and plastic products | 902 | 7.2% |
Source: Eurostat nama_10_a64, B1G, current prices, 2023. Total manufacturing value added 2023: EUR 12,486 m. Share is our calculation. Food (841) and motor vehicles (812) follow.
Where the industry is
Slovenia is the only country in this report where neither food nor motor vehicles is the largest branch. Pharmaceuticals rank second. Eurostat counts 21,262 manufacturing enterprises for 2023 (sbs_ovw_act). We have not verified a regional breakdown or a list of major plants, so we do not publish one.
The pressure on Slovenian plants
Labour cost. Hourly labour cost in manufacturing went from €26.0 in 2023 to €29.8 in 2025, +14.6%, against +9.0% in the EU-27 (Eurostat lc_lci_lev). It is the highest level of the seven countries, though still below the EU-27 average of €35.0.
Productivity. In 2025 hourly labour cost rose 7.2% and value added per worker 4.2% (our calculation from lc_lci_lev, nama_10_a10 and nama_10_a10_e; nominal EUR, different denominators). Whole-economy productivity per hour was 86.2, EU-27 = 100, up from 84.1 (Eurostat tesem160) — the highest of the seven.
People. The manufacturing job vacancy rate was 2.1% in 2025, the highest of the seven and above the EU-27 rate of 1.5% (Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2). Employment fell 1.8% (our calculation from nama_10_a10_e). Finding people is a real constraint here.
Energy. €0.173/kWh excluding VAT for the 2,000–19,999 MWh band in the second half of 2025, below the EU-27 average of €0.192 (Eurostat nrg_pc_205).
Digital and AI maturity
22.7% of Slovenian manufacturers with 10+ employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, up from 21.6% in 2024 (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2). It is the only one of the seven countries above the EU-27 manufacturing rate of 17.3%. The small change despite Eurostat's broader 2025 questionnaire suggests the level was already high. Robot density was 315 per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2024, against 231 in the EU-27 and 449 in Germany (IFR, April 2026). 68.5% of enterprises reached at least basic digital intensity in 2024 (Eurostat isoc_e_dii; EU-27 73.7%).
What this means for a mid-size plant in Slovenia
- Check your AI projects against data quality. With adoption above the EU average, the question is whether models run on complete machine and stop data. Gaps in that history limit what any model can do.
- Target labour hours, not headcount. With the highest vacancy rate of the seven, the useful measure is good output per available labour hour on each constraint line.
- Connect robot cells to the same record. High robot density means more automated cells whose stops and waiting times should be logged alongside manual lines.
- Compare options. Integrators, MES suppliers and dedicated monitoring tools all serve this market. Disclosure: manufacturingml.com is published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which sells production-monitoring and OEE software.
Trade fairs, 2026–2027
We did not confirm any Slovenian industrial trade fair dates for 2026–2027 for this release.
Funding
In Slovenia, the Slovene Enterprise Fund's P4D digital-transformation scheme closed its 2025 edition in May 2025 and a 2026 edition is not confirmed; we track status, eligibility and deadlines, dated and linked to the official agency, on factoryoptimizationai.com/cee/ — check the current call documentation before you plan around any of it.
Every indicator on this page for 7 countries, EU-27 and Germany, with Eurostat dataset codes and links. Excel.
- CEE 2026 data report: all seven countries compared
- Poland country profile
- Czechia country profile
- Romania country profile
- Hungary country profile
- Slovakia country profile
- Bulgaria country profile
- CEE Manufacturing Data Pack 2026 (xlsx)
Questions
- Is Slovenia the most productive manufacturing country in CEE?
- Of the seven countries in this report, yes. Value added per manufacturing worker was €61.0k in 2025, about 68% of the EU-27 figure (our calculation from Eurostat nama_10_a10 and nama_10_a10_e), and whole-economy productivity per hour was 86.2 against an EU-27 index of 100 (Eurostat tesem160, 2025).
- How many Slovenian manufacturers use AI?
- 22.7% of manufacturers with 10+ employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, above the EU-27 rate of 17.3% (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2).
- What is the robot density in Slovenian manufacturing?
- 315 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2024, against 231 in the EU-27 and 449 in Germany (IFR press release, 8 April 2026).
Sources
- Eurostat nama_10_a10 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nama_10_a10_e (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nama_10_a64 (2023)
- Eurostat sbs_ovw_act (2023)
- Eurostat isoc_eb_ai (2024–2025)
- Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat isoc_e_dii (2024)
- Eurostat lc_lci_lev (2023–2025)
- Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat tesem160 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nrg_pc_205 (2025-S2)
- IFR: Robot density surges in Europe, Asia and Americas (8 Apr 2026, 2024 data)
- Slovene Enterprise Fund: P4D 2025
Published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which makes production-monitoring and OEE software, with an office in Bucharest (TEEPTRAK SRL). Figures are sourced on each page. Funding rules change: check the official call documents before you budget.