Unemployment in the Czech Republic fell by another tenth of a point to 3.2 pct
Updates: 08.06.2022 10:26
Released: 08.06.2022, 09:04
Prague – Unemployment in the Czech Republic fell by another tenth of a percentage point to 3.2 percent in May. There are 235,468 job seekers in the register of labor offices, 8190 less than in April. The number of vacancies will decrease by about 7,000 compared to the previous month, with employers offering 337,331. This follows from data published today by the Labor Office of the Czech Republic. The result is in line with analysts’ estimates. Last May, unemployment in the Czech Republic was 3.9 percent.
The labor market continues to be affected by seasonal work, which is in full swing, especially in construction, gastronomy, tourism, agriculture and horticulture, but also in forestry, fishing, spa and mining, said Viktor Najmon, director of the Czech Labor Office. “With the advent of summer weather, summer brigade offers appear to a lesser extent in the records of the Labor Office of the Czech Republic. However, employers usually look for short-term workers through advertising, job portals, social networks or through their permanent employee,” he added.
According to Najmon, seasonal activities will continue in the coming months, and unemployment could fall further. “But everything will also depend on the course of the war in Ukraine, the number of newly registered jobseekers among the citizens of Ukraine and the impact of the energy crisis on employers,” he said.
According to available sources, a total of 68,885 citizens gained work in the Czech Republic since the Russian invasion of Ukraine; currently, at the end of May, 56,388 Ukrainians were working in the Czech Republic with temporary protection. Most of them in the Pilsen and Central Bohemia regions and in Prague. They most often work as assembly workers, helpers in construction, production, transport, or have found seasonal work.
According to Najmon, it is still the case that mainly women come to the Czech Republic. “Which means that they usually do low-volume physical activities. In addition, they prefer short-term job opportunities and, with regard to children, one-shift work,” he added.
The lowest unemployment rate remained in the Pardubice Region in May, with 2.1 percent of people out of work. The share of unemployed people in the Ústí Region remains the highest at 5.1 percent. Year-on-year, the situation changed the most in the Karlovy Vary region, where unemployment fell to 3.8 percent from last year’s 5.7 percent in May.
Among the districts, the highest share of unemployed people is 8.2 percent in the Karviná region. It is 6.6 percent in the Most region, 6.2 percent in the Chomutov region and 5.6 percent in the Bruntál region. The lowest unemployment rate of 1.1 percent is in the district of Prague-East, and 1.5 percent is in the districts of Pelhřimov and Prague-West.
There are an average of 0.7 applicants per vacancy in the Czech Republic. In the Karviná region it is 9.7 applicants, on the contrary in the district of Prague-East it is only 0.1 applicants.
In May, people with lower qualifications were most often unemployed, especially with apprentices without maturity and with basic education. The average age of the unemployed was 43.8 years, while last year it was 43.1 years. In May, 33.7 percent of applicants were unemployed for a year, compared to 31.4 percent a year ago. According to the Labor Office of the Czech Republic, the reason for the increase is mainly the economic crisis caused by the covid-19 epidemic.
Employers are now mainly interested in construction and assembly workers, forklift operators, truck and tractor drivers, cleaners and cooks. The highest demand for new employees is in Prague, where 88,625 vacancies are on offer.
Share of unemployed in the regions of the Czech Republic (in percent):
May 2022 | April 2022 | May 2021 | |
Prague | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.6 |
Central Bohemian Region | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
South Bohemian Region | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.0 |
Pilsen Region | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
Karlovy Vary Region | 3.8 | 4.0 | 5.7 |
Usti Region | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
Liberec region | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
Hradec Kralove region | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
Pardubice region | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
Highlands | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.9 |
South-Moravian region | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
Olomouc region | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.9 |
Zlín Region | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.1 |
Moravian-Silesian Region | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.6 |
CR | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
Source: Labor Office of the Czech Republic