The activities of the ESS were set out by the 1991 Employment and Insurance Against Unemployment Act (EIAU) (Ur. l. RS, 5/91, 12/92, 71/93, 38/94, 69/98).

The tasks and powers of the ESS in the fields of employment, scholarships and unemployment insurance are regulated by numerous regulations, laws and rules.

In addition to the laws and regulations directly regulating employment, the ESS also performs its activities on the basis of laws and regulations from related fields of social activity. These include:

• Pension and Disability Insurance Act;
• Healthcare and Health Insurance Act (Articles 15, 48, etc.);
• school legislation (vocational guidance, counselling and education);
• labour regulations (redundant workers, trainee periods, employment contracts, inspections, etc.), social care regulations (maternity benefit, entries of years of insurance in workers' records, calculation of income limits, cadastral income, re-evaluation, etc.).

The tasks of the ESS are laid down in the ESS Business Plan, which is adopted by the Administrative Council.

The ESS is an independent legal entity with public institute status. It operates uniformly across the whole of Slovenia. It was founded on the basis of Article 61 of the EIAU. As determined by the Statute, the main office is situated in Ljubljana, at Glinška ulica 12.

This report describes the organisation of the ESS in 2000, even though the new Statute (Ur. l. RS, 84/99) redefines its organisation. According to the plans the implementation of the new internal organisational system shall be fully completed in 2001, with the adoption of new rules on the internal organisation of the ESS.

Operational and functional work takes place at ESS headquarters, where the management and head office (HO) are located, and at regional and local offices (LOs) in all administrative units throughout Slovenia.

ESS services are used by: unemployed people; employers; scholarship recipients; people in need of professional assistance in seeking employment or of vocational guidance; professional institutions and providers of employment programmes; social partners; and the general public.

Head office and ESS management

The head office and ESS management develop the methodology of work, prescribe and evaluate all tools used by the ESS in its work (manuals, work instructions, organisational rules, etc.), coordinate all business functions of the ESS, and ensure direct and uniform application throughout the country. The HO also provides analytical, legal, staff, financial, accounting, developmental and organisational support for the ROs and LOs, and executes some tasks directly throughout the country.

Regional and local offices

Regional offices administer and perform professional and operational tasks in their own areas: employment services (job placements for unemployed people, work with employers, employment of foreign workers as the labour market requires), vocational guidance, employment programmes, the execution of rights arising from unemployment insurance, and national scholarships. They also perform analytical work, implement international projects, are responsible for public relations at the local and regional levels, and several other related activities. Together with other partners in their area (employers, trade unions, local community bodies, professional institutions, providers of employment programmes, etc.), ROs work on the development of employment policies and programmes aimed at achieving the joint fulfilment of objectives.

The managing director of the ESS in 2000 was Jože Glazer and the deputy director Mavricija Batič. Franc Belčič, Leopold Hanžič, Sonja Pirher and Janez Urbas were assistants to the managing director.

The directors of the ROs were as follows: Uroš Pešec (Celje); Mira Kočevar Furlan (Koper); Damjana Košir (Kranj); Cvetka Cvek (Ljubljana); Marko Strban (Maribor); Cvetka Čahuk Mandič (Murska Sobota); Erna Kufersin Rehberger (Nova Gorica); Franc Smerdu (Novo Mesto); Žarko Markovič (Ptuj); Anton Koren (Sevnica); Lidija Vidic Ristič (Trbovlje); and Srdan Arzenšek (Velenje).

In 2000 the ESS continued with the restructuring of its internal organisation; this is aimed at increasing efficiency of operation. Accordingly, it has already changed the performance of certain business functions in accordance with the principle of a gradual approach, for example by introducing two new ROs (Ptuj and Trbovlje), centralising the electronic data processing department, etc. This process will be completed in 2001 with the adoption of the Rules on Internal Organisation.

ESS administrative bodies

According to the Statute, the administrative bodies of the ESS are the Administrative Council and the managing director. The Administrative Council (AC) has 13 members and is composed of the following:

• members of national employers' organisations;
• members of national trade unions;
• members of the Slovenian government;
• members of the ESS workers' council.