In the fourth quarter last year, the jobless rate was 6.6%.

According to the labor force survey, the number of unemployed persons decreased to 174,900 in Q1 of 2022 from 183,400 in the previous quarter.

The unemployed persons decreased by 15,000 from a year ago.

In a separate report, the Bratislava-based statistics agency said that Slovakia's gross domestic product (GDP) advanced 3.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, matching preliminary estimates, and following a 1.4% growth in the previous three-month period.

The expansion was supported mainly by domestic demand, in particular household consumption (9.1%) and investment activity (6.4%). On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, the economy rose 0.4%, advancing from a 0.3% increase in the fourth quarter of 2021.