Albeit marginally, the joblessness rate was down in September for the second consecutive month as the number of people in paid employment rose by 2,000 to 795,523.

"Based on data from previous years, we may expect a raise in the unemployment rate in October when the jobless total as a rule increases, mainly on account of students who register with the Employment Service as their student status expires," the Statistics Office said.

Indeed, data released by the Employment Service earlier this month shows that Slovenia's jobless total surged by 3.5% in October over the month before and by 7.1% year-on-year to 118,721.

According to the Statistics Office, the unemployment rate among men dropped for the seventh straight month in September to 11.7% from 11.9% in August. The rate for women fell to 13.6% from 13.9% after two months of increase.

Comparing age groups, the most substantial fall in unemployment was registered in the group of 55-59-year-olds (down from 22% to 21.4%), while it remains the highest among 15-24-year-olds at 27.3%.