Last updated 2025-10-07
Quick overview
Slovakia currently requires equal pay for equal or equivalent work, but private employers are not yet required to report gender pay gaps. This situation is set to change soon. In September 2025, the government published draft legislation to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
The proposal goes further than most other member states by introducing a new standalone law, the Law on Equal Pay for Men and Women for Equal Work or Work of Equal Value, rather than simply amending the Labour Code. The draft also includes targeted amendments to the Labour Code, the Labour Inspection Act and the Employment Services Act.
The new legislation will take effect on 1 June 2026, in line with the EU deadline. It introduces clear pay-range disclosure obligations, stronger employee rights to pay information and mandatory gender pay-gap reporting for employers with at least 100 employees.
Reporting requirements
Which companies must report?
At present, no employers in Slovakia are required to report gender pay gaps. All employers must comply with the equal pay principle, but no structured reporting is in place.
What information needs to be reported?
Currently, employers are not required to collect or report gender pay gap data. They are only obliged to ensure that men and women are paid equally for the same or equivalent work.
When and where to send the data?
No reporting obligation exists at this stage.
Who can see the results?
Because Slovakia has no gender pay gap reporting requirement today, there are no external publications or internal disclosure duties.
Equal pay laws
Slovakia’s current legal framework already guarantees equal pay for equal or equivalent work under the Labour Code. Employers must publish gender-neutral job advertisements and state the base salary offered in each posting. They are prohibited from offering a lower wage than the amount advertised. The Labour Code also bans confidentiality clauses that prevent workers from sharing information about their pay. Employees and their representatives may monitor compliance with wage regulations through collective agreements.
The forthcoming Equal Pay Law will strengthen this framework. It will require employers to establish gender-neutral pay structures developed in cooperation with employee representatives. Employers will be prohibited from asking job candidates about their salary history. They will be obliged to communicate pay ranges to applicants before interviews, although publication in the job advertisement itself will not be mandatory. The new law will also introduce an annual obligation for employers to remind employees of their right to request pay information.
Employee rights
Currently, employees who believe their right to equal pay has been violated may either:
File a complaint with their employer, which must be addressed without undue delay
Submit a complaint to the Labour Inspectorate, which may impose fines up to EUR 100,000
Take the case directly to court
Courts can order employers to stop the violation, eliminate its consequences, and provide compensation. Importantly, filing a complaint with the employer is optional and not a prerequisite to going to court.
Risks of non-compliance
The risks under current law include:
Court-ordered remedies and compensation
Administrative fines up to EUR 100,000 imposed by the Labour Inspectorate
Reputational damage, as wage transparency in job advertisements is already mandatory
What will change by 2026
New EU-wide rules
Under the EU Pay Transparency Directive, Slovakia must introduce new obligations by 7 June 2026. The new framework will strengthen pay transparency, ensure equal pay for work of equal value, and improve employee access to pay information.
Key measures include:
Pay disclosure in recruitment
Employers must provide salary ranges to job applicants, either in job advertisements or before interviews.
Questions about salary history will be prohibited.
Gender pay-gap reporting
250+ employees: Annual reporting from 2027 (based on 2026 data).
150–249 employees: Reporting every three years from 2027.
100–149 employees: Reporting every three years from 2031.
Fewer than 100 employees: No reporting duty, but still covered by equal-pay and transparency rights.
Joint Pay Assessments
Required when an unexplained pay gap of 5 % or more persists for six months.
Conducted jointly with employee representatives to identify and correct causes.
Employee rights and protections
Employees gain the right to access pay information and request explanations of pay differences.
Employers are prohibited from retaliating against workers who share or challenge pay information.
How Slovakia is likely to apply them
The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family has confirmed that a national working group is preparing the transposition of the Directive, with full implementation expected by January 2026. The government plans to establish a central reporting platform, most likely operated by the Labour Inspectorate or the Ministry itself, where employers will submit gender pay-gap data and related disclosures.
Enforcement will combine administrative penalties for non-compliance, employee compensation rights in confirmed cases of pay discrimination, and the reversal of the burden of proof, meaning that employers must demonstrate that any pay differences are justified by objective factors rather than gender.
FAQ
Is gender pay gap reporting mandatory in Slovakia today?
No. At present, only the equal-pay principle applies.
When will reporting begin?
Reporting will start in 2027 for employers with 250 or more employees, based on 2026 data.
Do pay ranges have to be published in job ads?
No. Employers will be required to provide pay ranges to job applicants before interviews, but publication in advertisements will not be mandatory.
Who enforces compliance?
The Labour Inspectorates, coordinated by the Ministry of Labour, will oversee enforcement.
What should employers do now?
Employers should review recruitment and pay-setting processes, audit job classifications and pay structures, test pay-gap calculations in advance and prepare to issue annual reminders to employees about their right to pay information.
Helpful resources
Draft Law on Equal Pay for Men and Women for Equal Work or Work of Equal Value (2025)
Slovak Labour Code (Labour Inspectorate guidance)
Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on Employment Services
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic – announcements on EU Directive implementation
EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970)
