Job centres helped nearly 14,000 unemployed people start work in September, the Employment Agency said. At the end of the month, registered unemployment stood at 5.43%, with 154,096 people registered as jobless.

Employers listed 12% more vacancies than in August. In September, 10,800 jobs were advertised on the primary labour market, 1,141 more than a month earlier.

Most jobs were in education, manufacturing, public administration, trade and car repair. Employers also sought staff in administrative and support services, hotels and restaurants, health care and social work.

Demand was highest for teachers, care workers, shop assistants and drivers of motor vehicles. Employers also need operators of fixed machines and equipment, and workers in mining, manufacturing, construction and transport.

They are also looking for business and administration professionals, and for people to make food, clothing and wood products. Other vacancies are in personal services, cleaning, waste collection and helper roles.

In September, 15,000 people got help to find a job, develop their careers or change jobs. Of these, 13,836 were unemployed people who started work through the job centres. Another 1,164 were people already in work, students and pensioners who got help to change or develop their careers.

More than 5,280 economically inactive people were encouraged in September to move towards the labour market. The agency also works with Roma mediators, who help people who are neither in work nor registered as unemployed to get in touch with job centres.

Under subsidised employment programmes and measures, 505 people from vulnerable groups started work. They included people with disabilities, young people with no work experience, people over 55 and the long-term unemployed. Of these, 445 joined projects under the Human Resources Development Programme 2021–2027, co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus.

On 15 October, the Employment Agency opened a second round of applications for the project "Specific Skills for the Workforce". Through it, employers train their staff in skills that match their business needs.