The number of people eligible for unemployment benefits in Slovakia fell in August for the fifth month in a row. The social security provider Sociálna Poisťovňa (SP) paid out unemployment assistance to 40,900 people in August, nearly 1,200 fewer than in July.
Compared to August 2009, the number of beneficiaries tumbled by 22,600. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits grew for nine months in a row until late September 2009, from nearly 23,400 in November 2008 to a five-year high of 63,500 in August 2009, SP told the SITA newswire.
Terms for eligibility for unemployment benefits eased as of early September 2010. Unemployed people who have been paying unemployment insurance for two of the past three years are now eligible to receive the benefit. Under the previous rules, the unemployed were required to have paid insurance for at least three of the previous four years.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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