Property prices in Trnava and the surrounding districts could rise higher than experts have predicted.

Car makers in the country plan to boost production in 2009 to 640,000 vehicles. Slovakia now produces more cars per capita, than any other country in the world. And an increase in output will require a massive drive to recruit skills and labour to meet output targets.

However, Peugeot and the other two car makers will need to look beyond Slovakia to fill the vacancies. One suggestion is to relax immigration rules to allow not only workers from Bulgaria and Romania, but also from Vietnam and the Ukraine.

The obvious impact of this will be higher property prices in Trnava and other cities where cars are made.

However, the news could prompt developers to take advantage of this situation, pricing their apartments and houses higher than previously planned  - as competition amongst buyers intensifies.