BRATISLAVA, March 20, (WEBNOVINY) — The registered jobless rate in Slovakia in February 2012 grew 0.07 percentage points month-on-month to 13.76 percent, which was the highest figure since June 2004 (13.91 percent). The Central Office of Labor, Social Affairs and Family reported that the unemployment rate rose by 0.60 percentage points in annual terms. The number of jobseekers able to start working at once increased 1,758 on a monthly basis and 20,737 from the previous year and reached 371,706.
At the end of February there were 411,801 jobless people, which was a monthly increase by 2,927 and annual growth of 16,356. The jobless rate calculated from the overall number of jobseekers stood at 15.24 percent in late February. This was a rise of 0.11 percentage points in monthly terms and 0.42 percentage points in a year-over-year comparison.
The authority anticipates a decline in the jobless rate next month owing to the recovery of the labor market and the beginning of seasonal works. The data of the Statistics Office as well as the Labor Market Index released this week indicate recovery of the labor market. The Index shows that up to 11 percent of employers are planning to hire new staff, the Central Labor Office writes in its report. Debt crisis and the return of Slovak citizens from the EU countries crippled by the crisis remain risk factors.
Almost 26,200 individuals were registered at labor offices last month, which was a monthly decline by 9,100. The indicator also fell on an annual basis by 651. At the same time 23,200 persons were deregistered, which was a monthly drop of 3,000 and annual growth of 230.
SITA
