Number of Job Vacancies Down to Level Similar to One Seen During Pandemic

Bratislava, 25 April (TASR) - The Slovak labour market has experienced a significant slowdown, with the number of job openings in the first quarter of 2026 reaching a level comparable to that seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, labour market analyst at Alma Career Slovakia Martin Szabo reported at the Profesia Days event this week, adding that the number of job postings on the Profesia website fell by 15 percent year-over-year, while competition among jobseekers has reached record levels. In the first quarter, employers posted just under 57,000 job vacancies, compared to more than 67,000 last year. "The number of job offers has been declining since 2024, and the situation on the labour market is very uncertain. In 2026, the market has reached a level comparable to that seen in the COVID-19 year of 2021. While that was a temporary shock, it's now more a matter of deeper structural problems," said Szabo. The steepest decline was seen in sectors such as water management, the environment and unskilled labour, in which the number of job vacancies fell by more than a quarter. Fewer jobs were also added in electrical engineering, energy, the textile industry and telecommunications. Conversely, growth was recorded in senior management, health care and social care. The IT and insurance sectors were unchanged or saw only a slight decline, suggesting that employment in these sectors hasn't yet been affected by artificial intelligence. The imbalance on the labour market has been confirmed by the growing number of responses to job postings. In the first four months of this year, the number has reached two million. On average, 40 applicants have responded to each ad, compared to just 29 last year. Recruitment processes are thus significantly more competitive. Experts say that job stability comes to the forefront in times of growing uncertainty, and jobseekers consider this to be one of the most important factors when choosing an employer. The analyst also noted that an emphasis on stability can be a competitive advantage for companies. "If employers can offer greater certainty, they'll be rewarded with higher employee loyalty and satisfaction," added Szabo. am/df