Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR)
The registered unemployment rate in Slovakia amounted to 8.78 percent at the end of November, which is the lowest level since December 2008 when it stood at 8.39 percent. This is mostly due to the active measures in the labour market, said Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“We managed to cross another border and this result really pleases me as I didn't expect a similar development until the following months or in 2018,” Fico told the press on December 20, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
The registered unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 percentage points compared with late October, while in annual terms the rate was down by 1.99 percentage points.
The labour offices registered 238,380 people ready to take a job immediately at the end of November, which is 8,214 people less than in October and 52,132 people less than in November 2015.
The total unemployment rate amounted to 10.24 percent in November, which represents 278,192 jobseekers. It fell by 0.26 percentage point month-on-month (or 7,059 people) and by 2.26 percentage points year-on-year (58,839 people).
Fico also praised the creation of new jobs. Altogether 63,500 new working positions have been created this year so far, the prime minister added.
Also Labour Minister Ján Richter (Smer) praised the trend in reducing the number of jobless people.
“Without active measures in the labour market and targeted projects via the European Social Fund, we would not achieve this state,” Richter said, as quoted by TASR.
The minister signed another three projects aimed to support the unemployed in Slovakia on December 19.
The unemployment rate has dropped in two risky groups, young people younger than 25 years and the long-term unemployed, Richter said.
