BACKGROUND
Located on the Hornád River, Košice, Slovakia’s second-largest city by population, is the capital of the region of the same name and a major road and railway junction. Its influence goes beyond regional frontiers and stretches across eastern Slovakia. Since the 1960s, its population has increased considerably from 80,000 to 240,000. This is explained by a high demand for industrial labour, particularly in steelworks, and by the annexation of several villages by the city. The city of Košice has also seen strong economic growth these past few years, which has translated into lower unemployment, with the number of jobseekers falling from 21,000 in 2001 to 7,900 in 2008, and an increase in average gross wages from €474 to €750, thereby enhancing the population’s purchasing power.