According to recent figures by the International Federation of Robotics, Slovakia and Slovenia are leading the way in robotics innovation in Central and Eastern Europe.
Both countries used well above the European and US average of 106 robots per 10,000 workers in 2017: 151 in Slovakia and 144 in Slovenia.
For Slovenia, this is owing in large part to its strong auto industry – the country currently ranks 7th in the world when it comes to robotics use in this sector. It is active in the establishment of innovation hubs, with all the big global players – Fanuc, Yaskawa, ABB and Kuka – active on this market.
However, there is a note of caution: the OECD has ranked Slovakia as vulnerable when it comes to the loss of traditional jobs through the implementation of computers or algorithms. According to its figures, 33% of all jobs in the country are highly automatable.