Czech unemployment falls, showing EU's tightest labour market

PRAGUE: The Czech unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent of the workforce in March, falling back to the two-decade lows that have made the country's labour market the tightest in the European Union.

The rate matches a low hit in November last year, when joblessness hit the lowest since December 1996, although the comparison is burdened by changes in methodology since then.

The drop was in line with analysts' forecasts.

The total number of jobless fell to 263,608, which the Labour Ministry said is the fewest since 1997.