Unemployment Fell in May When Compared to April, But Higher Year-on-Year

Bratislava, 19 June (TASR) - The proportion of available jobseekers in the working-age population stood at 3.91 percent at the end of May of this year, having fallen by 0.05 percentage points month-over-month, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVaR) reported on Friday, adding that the figure rose by 0.2 percent year-on-year when compared to May 2025, however. At the end of January 2026, the unemployment rate stood at 4.42 percent. Between February and May, it fell by 0.51 percentage points. The number of jobseekers available for work registered with labour offices reached 140,940 at the end of May, which was 1,862 fewer than in April and as many as 18,581 fewer than at the end of January 2026. "We're witnessing a continuing decline in unemployment on the one hand, and a sharp increase in the number of job vacancies on the other. From the beginning of the year through to the end of May nearly 21,000 job vacancies were added to the labour market. We've seen more intense growth only once since 2000, namely in 2017. Every month of this year, the number of job openings has surpassed the previous record. "In May, the 140,000 mark was surpassed for the first time in Slovakia's modern history," said Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD). The number of job offers reached 140,946 at the end of May, an increase of 10,482 from the previous month. The May unemployment statistics are a positive surprise, stated analysts at the Social Policy Institute, noting that the negative expectations from the beginning of the year - linked mainly to unfavourable global developments - haven't materialised so far. "The continuing demand for labour has been partly confirmed by a further increase in the number of job vacancies. However, a slight rise in unemployment can be expected in the near future. As usual in June, a new cohort of university graduates is entering the labour market. During the summer months, we expect unemployment to stabilise, supported by continued seasonal demand for labour. A further slight increase can then be expected in September, when a new wave of secondary school-leavers will enter the labour market. Overall, however, the May data confirm that the labour market remains relatively resilient and that the seasonal recovery is currently outweighing the negative impacts of the external situation," summarised the institute's analysts. am/df