Czech Unemployment Rate Holds Steady In July

Unemployment in the Czech Republic in July remained at 3.7 percent, according to data from the Labor Office of the Czech Republic.

Compared to June, the number of job seekers decreased by 1,124 to 272,178 and compared to July last year, there are almost 7,500 fewer unemployed. On the contrary, the number of jobs offered has increased.

At the end of July, employers offered a total of 358,152 vacancies through labor offices, which was 2,540 more than in June and 23,869 more than a year ago.

Employers in the country are interested in workers in manual professions in the manufacturing and construction industries as well as in seasonal activities, mainly in construction, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishing, and animal and food production.

“In some regions, industries such as hospitality, services, and transport are already almost fully operational. That is, industries in which there have been significant economic losses in recent months,” the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic noted.

According to analysts, the development of unemployment affects the start of the economy after the release of measures against covid-19.

“Usually, in July, unemployment stagnates or rises slightly in line with seasonal developments. This year, it remained at the same level as in June. At this time of year, firms’ recruitment activity is often subdued for company holidays. again in September, “said Viktor Najmon, General Director of the Labor Office of the Czech Republic.

Last July, the share of the unemployed was 3.8 percent, the year before it was 2.7 percent.

Regional differences were also evident in this year’s first holiday month. The highest share of unemployed persons was reported by the Ústí nad Labem and Moravian-Silesian regions, both 5.5 percent, followed by the Karlovy Vary region with 5% unemployment.

These three regions affected by the decline in coal mining and the high number of socially excluded localities had the highest share of unemployed persons in July last year, which, according to the Labor Office of the Czech Republic, corresponds to their long-term economic situation.

On the contrary, the lowest unemployment rate remains in the Pardubice Region, at 2.3 percent. Year-on-year, the situation changed the most in the Pilsen and Pardubice regions, where the share of unemployed persons fell by 0.4 percentage point compared to July 2020 to 2.9 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.

During July, 31,471 people were newly registered at labor offices, 12,000 more month-on-month, compared to 12,423 fewer jobseekers last year. The Moravian-Silesian Region (4238) and the Central Bohemian Region (3855) report the newest unemployed, and the Karlovy Vary Region (923) the least.

The average age of the unemployed last month was 43.4 years, while last year it was 42.3 years. The age structure of job seekers has not changed significantly in the last five years, and even during the past 12 months there have been only slight changes, stated the Labor Office of the Czech Republic.

Unemployed were most often jobseekers with lower qualifications, especially jobseekers with basic education and apprenticeships without a high school diploma.