At the end of 2022, employment in the SR rose only slightly, for the whole year the number of employees increased by 1.7%

The employment of the SR was kept in positive numbers due to the increase in the number of employees in the entire construction industry and in the majority of service sectors, this was true in the last three months of the year and for the entire year 2022. However, in the largest sector of the economy- in industry, the number of employees decreased year-on-year, the peak was manifested in the 4^th quarter, with less than 64 thousand employees year-on-year.

Employment, according to the Labor Force Survey¹⁾ in the last quarter of 2022 increased by 0.4% year-on-year, the number of employees²⁾ in the Slovak Republic rose to more than 2 623 000 people. The increase in the number of workers lasted for one and a half years. After seasonal adjustment, total employment in the SR increased by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter (compared to the 3^rd quarter) to 2 606 000 workers.

The employment rate³⁾, which expresses the share of workers from the total population, increased year-on-year by 1.1 percentage points (p.p.) to 77.2%. It is not possible to compare current data on employment over a longer period of time, in 2021 there were significant methodological changes as a result of new EU legislation.⁴⁾

In total, out of the 18 monitored sectors of the economy, the majority, 10 sectors, recorded an increase in the number of employees. In the 4^th quarter of 2022, the number of employees in services increased by 57.5 thousand employees, but in the three manufacturing sectors, it decreased by 47.4 thousand employees.

Services, in an attempt to cope with the adverse consequences of the two-year pandemic, maintained the trend of increasing the number of employees, in the 4^th quarter they recorded a year-on-year increase in the number of employees by 3.6%. 1 645 000 people worked in services, which was 63% of the total number of employees in the Slovak Republic.

Of the large service industries employing more than 150 000 people, the largest year-on-year increase in the number of employees, both relatively and absolutely, was in transportation and storage (by 8.8%), followed by healthcare and social services (by 6.3%) and wholesale and retail trade (by 4.4%). Higher increases of over 10% were also recorded by some small industries – financial and insurance activities as well as professional, scientific and technical activities, each of which added more than 15 000 employees year-on-year. On the contrary, the decrease of employees (by almost 8%) was manifested in public administration, including social security, and by less than 7% in accommodation and catering services.

Of the three manufacturing sectors, the number of employees increased only in construction (by 9%), which also represented the highest year-on-year increase in the number of employees (by more than 21 000) of all sectors of the economy. However, this growth could not compensate for the sharper decline in the number of employees in industry and in agriculture. In industry, the decrease in the number of employees in the last three months of 2022 deepened to 8.9%, which represented more than 64 000 people. The decrease in the number of employees in this largest sector of the economy by the number of employees has been deepening for the third consecutive quarter, and at the end of 2022, almost 657 000 employees and entrepreneurs worked in the industry.

From a regional perspective, during the 4th quarter of 2022, the number of employees increased year-on-year in 5 out of 8 regions of the SR, most significantly in Bratislavský kraj - by almost 7.6% (by 27.2 thousand people). Košický, Žilinský, Trnavský and Nitriansky kraj also maintained a slight growth. On the contrary, the most dynamic decrease by more than 3% in the number of employees was registered by Trenčiansky kraj. Prešovský and Banskobystrický kraj also had a decrease in the number of employees.

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The regions in the west and north-west of the SR had the highest employment rate, a value higher than 80% was achieved besides Bratislavský kraj also Trnavský and Žilinský kraj. The most significant change occurred in Košický kraj, where the employment rate in the 4^th quarter of 2022 increased year-on-year by up to 3.8 p.p. to 72.5%. The lowest employment rate has long been in Prešovský kraj (less than 72%).

In the 4^th quarter of 2022, more than 116 000 Slovak citizens went to work abroad⁵⁾, which was by 2.4% more than in the corresponding period of 2021. They worked mainly in construction, industry and health and social assistance. Most of them were from Nitriansky kraj (almost 25 000 people) and Prešovský kraj (almost 24 000 people). The highest year-on-year increase in the number of people commuting for work outside the borders of the SR was recorded by Nitriansky and Košický kraj.

Employment in 2022 compared with 2021

The total number of employees in the Slovak Republic for the year 2022 increased by over 43 000 people (by 1.7%) to almost 2 604 000 people. In total, out of 18 monitored sectors of the economy, the number of employees increased in 13. Even at the year-round level, the positive result of employment was due to an increase in the number of people working in services by more than 46 000 people (by 3%). However, the development of employment slowed down at the same time due to the decrease in the number of employees in selected production sectors, especially in industry.

The most significant increases in the number of employees were in construction (by 6.2%), among services, e.g. in professional, scientific and technical activities (by 14.8%), then in financial and insurance activities (by 10.4%). On the contrary, the decrease by more than 20 thousand (by 2.9%) employees even at the year-round level occurred in industry.

The number of employees increased year-on-year in 5 regions of the Slovak Republic, most significantly in Bratislavský kraj (by 9.3%). The number of employees decreased in three regions, the most significant was in Trenčiansky kraj (by 1.7%).

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The employment rate of the Slovak Republic for the entire year 2022 increased by 2.1 p. p. to the current 76.7%. It changed most dynamically in Košický kraj, where it rose by 3.9 p.p. to 71.7%. The number of people working abroad increased by 3.6% compared to 2021, 116 000 people went to work abroad.