How work, language and identity shape life abroad for young Slovaks
In a reported feature for the Slovak publication Kapital, journalist Dorota Suranová examines the lives of young Slovaks who have left the country to work elsewhere in the European Union, focusing on migrants in Austria and Germany and the uncertain question of whether they will eventually return.
Since the fall of communism and Slovakia’s accession to the EU, labour migration has become a defining feature of the country’s economy and social life. According to estimates cited in the article, the Slovak diaspora now amounts to more than two million people, with around 20,000 leaving the country each year. Austria and Germany are among the most common destinations, offering higher wages, stronger labour protections and broader opportunities than many regions at home.
Suranová grounds these structural shifts in the experiences of several young migrants now living in Vienna and Hamburg. Their stories reflect the two broad categories of migrants identified by researcher Lucia Mýtna Kureková: those who leave because of unemployment or limited opportunities at home, and those who seek experience abroad, hoping language skills and international work will later improve their prospects.
Oliver, who moved from Bratislava to Vienna after meeting a partner online, illustrates the precariousness that can accompany migration. Despite previous work in marketing and hospitality management, he struggled to secure office work and eventually took a job in the city’s nightlife economy. While bar work has provided financial stability, the long nights and physically demanding shifts have made him question how sustainable the lifestyle will be in the long term.
His friend Anna followed a different path but encountered similar challenges. Originally from Košice, she moved first to Brno for university before spending time in Vienna on Erasmus. Higher wages in Austria persuaded her to remain, and she initially supported herself through work in bars. Yet despite holding a degree in art history, she found it difficult to break into the cultural sector, highlighting a broader pattern researchers describe as “brain waste”, which is when highly educated migrants accept lower-skilled work abroad due to language barriers, limited professional networks or employer biases.
For Anna, the service industry also exposed the social hierarchies migrants often face. As a young woman with an Eastern European accent, she sometimes encountered harassment or stereotypes from customers and colleagues. Only after securing internships in museums and cultural institutions did she begin working closer to her field, where she felt her professional identity was taken more seriously.
Other migrants describe similar tensions between opportunity and uncertainty. Adam, who studied electrical engineering in Brno, moved to Vienna with the help of Slovak friends but now works in a kitchen while searching for a role related to his training. Although the job offers income and stability, he sees it as temporary and hopes eventually to return to engineering.
Despite their varied experiences, all the interviewees share an ambivalent relationship with the idea of returning home. Vienna’s proximity to Slovakia makes regular visits possible, yet the political climate and limited professional opportunities there make permanent return uncertain for many. Others imagine raising families abroad while maintaining cultural and emotional ties to their hometowns.
The decision to return remains unresolved for many young Slovaks. As Suranová’s reporting shows, migration within the EU has opened new possibilities for work and mobility, but it has also created a generation living between countries, balancing opportunity abroad with lingering attachments to home.
The original article by Dorota Suranová, ‘Kedysavrátišdomov?’ was published in Slovakian, on November 27, 2025 in Kapital.
It is available here.
Kapitál is an independent Slovak magazine and online platform focused on culture, politics and social analysis.
