PRAGUE: The Slovak unemployment rate rose to a three-year high of 7.2pc in May, Labour Office data showed on Friday, as the coronavirus pandemic batters the economy and cuts job vacacnies.

The May rise was in line with analysts' forecasts in a Reuters poll. In April, the jobless rate was 6.6pc.

Unemployment in the country had been at its lowest levels in over two decades before the crisis hit.

The number of job vacancies dropped by 5,652 to 67,950 in May compared to April, hitting the lowest since December 2017, data from the Slovak Labour Office showed on Friday.