Slovak unemployment rises to 7.4 percent

Slovakia's biggest employers are expecting the government to help them retain employees as the impact of the pandemic spreads. That was the message from Tibor Gregor, who heads up the Club of 500, a grouping of Slovakia's largest companies. He complained that the last action the government took was to extend existing support programs without increasing the volume of funds being offered. Gregor warned that up to 60,000 jobs are now threatened. "If the state doesn't contribute to the saving and maintaining of jobs, these employees will end up at the labor offices," he said. Unemployment in Slovakia has already risen to 7.4 percent, its highest level in three years. The country's GDP is expected to fall by around 10 percent in 2020.