Based on provisions of the Employment and Work of Foreigners Act (EWFA), the ESS is competent to issue all types of work permits and to keep records on the employment and work of foreigners. In 2006, we noted as much as 30.0 % percent increase in the extent of issued work permits, 44,654 work permits were issued. In addition to the greater number of issued personal work permits for foreigners already living and working in Slovenia for a longer period of time and who acquired the permanent residence permit, a significant increase in the scope of permits for employment, the scope of which was almost unchanged in previous years, is especially characteristic of 2006. The increase in the scope of permissions for employment is mostly the result of the introduction of the new Rules on procedures and evidence relating to decisions on issuing work permits in cases when the employment of a foreigner is not connected to the labour market (without labour market control), which determined deficit vocational groups, for which permits for employment are issued in a simplified manner. Thus, the scope of newly issued permits for employment in comparison to the same previous period increased by 65.8 % or 2,446 workers, ant the scope of permits for employment without labour market control by as much as 248.8 % or 1,462 workers. The mentioned groups contain workers, which Slovenia is lacking for a number of years (welders, builders, lately also drivers in international transport). There was an increase in work permits in the previous period as well, in total by 31.6 % or 2,818 permits, which is especially the result of increased needs for seasonal workers in construction, where as much as 70.0 % or 2,442 more permits were issued than in 2005.

Despite the fact that the expectations of a great inflow of workers from the EU, especially from the new member states to work in the Republic of Slovenia did not realize, the inflow of workers from the EU, especially from the Slovak Republic, Poland and Hungary is not negligible. Thus, in 2006, 5,196 registrations of workers from the EU were recorded at the ESS, which is competent for keeping records of employment and work of workers from the EU; from that number, there were 1,354 registrations of employment, 166 registrations of individual work and 3,676 registrations of services. Among workers from the old member states, experts and management personnel in mixed corporations are prevalent, whereas the workers of the new member states most frequently carry out similar activities as foreigners from Third World countries (work in construction, metal industry, international transport).