Unemployment rate rises to 5.1 pct in January

The unemployment rate in Czechia rose to 5.1 percent in January from 4.8 percent in December, according to the Labour Office. Compared with January last year, the share of unemployed increased by 0.8 percentage points. Analysts say the month-on-month rise was driven mainly by seasonal factors and changes to unemployment benefits, which now provide higher support in the first months. A total of 378,547 people were without work at the end of January, about 24,000 more than a month earlier. In the longer term, analysts link rising unemployment to weak performance in Czech industry.