Prague - The Czech Republic's unemployment rate continued to climb in March, showing that a drop in demand was pulling down the export-reliant economy, according to government data released Wednesday.

The unemployment rate, based on the number of jobseekers registered with state labour authorities, which rose to 7.7 per cent in March, up from 7.4 per cent in the previous month, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said.

In March, authorities registered 448,912 unemployed people, an increase of 20,064 compared to late February.

The Central European country of 10.3 million was spared the meltdown on global financial markets, but its economy, which is dependent on exports, has been hit by a reduction in orders from export markets, chiefly the eurozone.

The harmonized Eurostat rate based on sample surveys put the Czech Republic's unemployment at 5.1 per cent in February, well bellow the European Union's 8.4 per cent. (dpa)