As many as 18 counties in Slovakia saw the unemployment rate climb above 20 percent at the end of June. The number of “20+ counties” has risen by 2 in comparison to 2012. The highest number of counties fighting unemployment was recorded in the regions of Presov (8), Banska Bystrica (5), and Kosice (5). The most people without jobs live in Rimavska Sobota where the unemployment rate reached 34.06 %.
According to Ivana Molnarova from the Job portal profesia.sk it might be more difficult to find a job at the moment. In the first half of this year, the portal saw the number of job offers drop by 12 percent year-on-year. “Even though companies haven't been resorting to lay-offs in such a massive way as in 2008 and 2009, it can't be said that they need new employees, either," explained Molnarova adding that companies that were mainly interested in traders, IT specialists, managers, and administrative staff. On the other hand, employers were not looking for people with a degree in telecommunications, health care and social care, or management.
