(according to the Labour Force Sample Survey)  ¹⁾ 

A decrease in employment deepened to 2,5 %, it is the largest decline over the last ten years.

According to the Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS), a year-on-year decline which was manifested at the beginning of the year, deepened to 2,5 % in the 2^nd quarter of 2020. It is the largest decline recorded since 2010. The number of employees  ²⁾ decreased in absolute terms by 65,4 thousand to 2 504,5 thousand persons. The employment rate  ³⁾ of persons aged 20-64 years, decreased to the lowest level since 2017, with a year-on-year decrease by 1,3 p.p. to 71,7 %. After deducting people working abroad, employment in Slovakia dropped by 2,4 % to 2 384,7 thousand persons.

The seasonally adjusted total employment rate decreased by 27,4 thousand (by 1,1 %) to 2 524,2 thousand employed persons.

Employment decreased the most in services, it dropped year-on-year by 43,4 thousand persons. In case of the individual sectors of services, the largest decreases were in transportation and storage by 11,6 thousand, accommodation and food service activities by 11,1 thousand and in education by 9,1 thousand. The number of employees was significantly reduced in construction by 15,4 thousand persons. A decrease in the number of employees was also in manufacturing by 7 thousand persons and in agriculture by 4 thousand persons.

A decrease in the number of employees in the 2^nd quarter of 2020, was the most influenced by the significant drop in the number of employees, by 46,5 thousand year-on-year to 2 127,4 thousand persons. The number of entrepreneurs ⁴⁾ dropped by 17,7 thousand (by 4,5 %) to 376,1 thousand. A decrease was in both categories, among entrepreneurs without employees by 10,7 thouand persons (by 3,4 %) and among entrepreneurs with employees by 7 thousand (by 8,9 %).

According to the age structure, employment decreased the most in the youngest age groups, among employees aged 25-34 years by 26,3 thousand persons and among 15-24 years by 18,7 thousand persons. It rose only in the category of 55-59 years old by 7,2 thousand persons.

At the regional level, the employment development was also marked by negative changes. The number of the employed decreased year-on-year in all regions, the most in Nitriansky, Košický and Prešovský kraj, where there was a decrease by more than 10 thousand employees. The employment rate was the lowest in Košický kraj (66,3 %), while Nitriansky and Prešovský kraj recorded its most significant drop (Nitriansky by 2,1 p.p. and Prešovský by 2 p.p.).

In the first half of 2020, total employment dropped, on average, by 2 % to 2 528,4 thousand persons.

People working abroad

The downward rate in the number of people working abroad according to the LFSS ⁵⁾ continued, compared with the 2^nd quarter of 2019, their number dropped by 7,9 thousand (by 6,2 %) to 119,8 thousand persons.

Most people worked in construction (34,8 thousand), industry (26,3 thousand) and in health care and social assistance (23,7 thousand). Within European countries, Slovaks worked mainly in Austria (37,5 thousand persons), the highest decrease was among Slovaks working in the Czech Republic (by 4,8 thousand persons).

Most people working abroad were from the Prešovský kraj (29,1 thousand persons) and the Nitriansky kraj (21 thousand persons).