Following several months of increases, the unemployment rate in Slovakia dropped by 0.09 percentage point, month-on-month, to settle at 12.88 percent in March, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (ÚPSVaR) announced on April 19, as reported by the TASR newswire. However, the jobless rate was 2.55 percentage points higher than one year earlier.
“It's just like we expected; judging by developments at the beginning of the year and seasonal summer jobs, as well as judging by input coming from employers, the situation on the Slovak labour market continues to stabilise,” said ÚPSVaR head Ján Sihelský to TASR.
A total of 346,067 job seekers were registered at labour offices in March. The figure represents a drop of 2,353 month-on-month but a rise of more than 72,000 people from the same month last year. The Centre foresees the unemployment rate dropping further in the months ahead but expects the figures to be much higher than pre-crisis levels.
“It'll take more than a year,” predicted Sihelský.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
