Unemployment in October rose slightly from the month before to 18.5%, or just under 500,000 people, 38,000 more than one year ago.
Not including the state's public works programme, 19.4% of Slovaks are without jobs, according to data from the national labour office.
Over a quarter of people registered as unemployed have never held a job in their lives. On the brighter side, the number of university graduates without work between May and October fell 9,600 from the same period last year to 44,400, the lowest total since 1996.
