Slovakia’s unemployment rate falls to 5.42 percent

The unemployment rate in Slovakia stood at 5.42 percent in August, down by 0.05 percentage points from July and down by 1.12 percentage points year-on-year, according to data released by the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVR) on Thursday. Meanwhile, the number of jobseekers immediately able to start work was 148,935 in August, a decrease of 1,333 individuals m-o-m and 29,318 y-o-y, said UPSVR general director Marian Valentovič. According to Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Jan Richter (Smer-SD), 77,000 job applicants have been registered with labour offices for the period of up to six months. "This means that almost 107,500 jobseekers have been registered with labour offices for the period of up to one year. These are all people who had already worked," stated Richter. The only exception are school leavers who registered themselves with labour offices after they finished their studies. The remaining about 70,000 jobseekers are long-term unemployed, added the minister.