The official unemployment rate in Slovakia increased to 7.47 percent in July, rising by 0.05 percentage points month-on-month, but falling by 0.83 percentage points year-on-year, the Centre for Labour, Social Affairs and the Family announced on August 18.
The number of people registered as looking for work grew by 1,386 month-on-month to 194,841. Compared to July 2007, there were almost 21,000 fewer unemployed.
The total number of people designated as job-seekers was 224,770 in July, meaning that unemployment calculated in this way reached 8.62 percent, an increase of 0.08 percentage points month-on-month, but a reduction of 0.84 percentage points year-on-year. The highest unemployment rate in July was recorded in the Rimavská Sobota district (Banská Bystrica Region), at almost 27 percent; followed by the Revúca district (also Banská Bystrica Region), at more than 25 percent; and the Rožňava district (Košice Region), at almost 19 percent.
The lowest unemployment rate in July was in Bratislava, 2 percent, while the districts of Trenčín, Pezinok (Bratislava Region) and Galanta (Trnava Region) all recorded 3 percent. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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