BRATISLAVA, August 27, (WEBNOVINY) — The number of unemployment benefits recipients continued to decline slightly in Slovakia in July. Last month, the social insurance provider Socialna poistovna paid these benefits to 42,100 persons, which represents a decrease by three thousand compared to June. This July, 20,500 fewer people received unemployment benefits than in July 2009. Since November 2008, for nine months in a row, the number of unemployment benefits recipients has been increasing, from nearly 23,400 to a five year maximum in August of last year of 63,500 recipients, according to data published by Socialna poistovna on Friday.
Conditions for granting the unemployment benefits will become less strict from the beginning of this September. Unemployed people, who paid unemployment insurance for at least two years in the past three years, will be entitled to receive unemployment benefits, according to the amendment to the law on employment services, which President Ivan Gasparovic signed into law in the middle of February. The measure was approved by Parliament within the government amendment to the law on employment services proposed by the Chairman of Social Parliamentary Committee Jozef Halecky (LS-HZDS). Currently, a minimum of three year of unemployment insurance payments in the past four years is required for eligibility to unemployment benefits.
SITA