THE UNEMPLOYMENT rate in Slovakia grew from 12.84 percent in May to 12.98 percent in June and was 0.46 percentage points higher than last year, the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR) reported on July 20, according to the TASR newswire.
A slight year-on-year drop in the number of long-term unemployed was recorded – from 48.6 percent to 48.2 percent of all unemployed. ÚPSVaR said this was mainly due to 6,696 jobs opening in seasonal work and in anti-flood projects.
ÚPSVaR added that the unemployment rate was affected by university graduates and school-leavers entering the labour force. Around 7 percent of registered job applicants (or 27,000) were new entrants from this group and their numbers accounted for a 0.5 percentage point monthly increase in the unemployment rate according to ÚPSVaR. Slovak job centres reported 9,078 vacancies in June, an increase of 34 percent from the number available a year ago.
“This indicates a gradual revival in the labour market in Slovakia,” ÚPSVaR stated, as quoted by TASR.
The number of recipients of unemployment benefit stagnated in June. The social security provider Sociálna Poisťovňa paid out the benefit to 43,300 individuals in June this year, the same figure as in the previous month.
