BRATISLAVA, February 23, (WEBNOVINY) – Side by side with increasing unemployment in Slovakia grows also the number of employed, underlined the head of the Central Office for Labor, Social Affairs and Family (UPSVaR) Ivan Juras. He explains this development with an increase in the number of economically active citizens. “Economic activity of the citizens was highest since 2004 at the end of the third quarter of 2011,” said Juras.
According to Slovak Statistical Office data over 2.72 million Slovaks were active in late 2011 which is 73,000 more than in 2004. As the head of the central labor office informed, the number of employed individuals reached some 2.37 million at the end of September 2011 which is almost 200,000 more than in 2004. “Since 2004 the number of employed is growing continually except of years 2008 and 2010 when over 115,000 jobs were closed,” says Juras.
“We can see positive affects of reviving economy,” continued Juras. According to him the proof is higher dynamics of influx of the unemployed into the register as well as their outflow. “When comparing the last two years, last three months’ outflows are the largest,” informed Juras. According to him, larger influxes were caused by higher workforce mobility after the Labor Code was amended. He also sees a positive trend in growing activity of the employers. “Labor offices inform us that interest of companies to employ people is growing,” Juras enclosed.
Month on month unemployment rose by 0.1 percent to 13.69 percent at the end of January 2012, reaching a new high since June 2004 when the jobless rate was 13.91 percent. The central labor office also informed that the number of unemployed able to immediately take up job reached 369,947 out of all 408,874 unemployed in January.
SITA