Unemployment down to 7.3 in March

Unemployment in the Czech Republic fell to 7.3 percent in March from 7.7 in February, the Labour Ministry reported on Tuesday. The March unemployment figure is the lowest since the beginning of 2004. Strong economic growth and the mild winter are believed to be the main factors responsible. European statistics published by Eurostat suggest that the Czech Republic is relatively successful in keeping down unemployment. The so called "harmonized unemployment rate" for February was 6.9 in the Czech Republic, as compared to 12.8 in Poland, 11.6 in Slovakia, 8.5 in Hungary and 7.8 percent in Germany.