Czech Unemployment Steady at 3.8% Despite Increase in Job Vacancies

The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic remained stable at 3.8 percent in August, unchanged from July.

This is slightly higher than last August’s rate of 3.6 percent. However, the number of job vacancies rose for the first time since March, with an increase of 1,221 month-on-month, according to the latest data from the Labour Office of the Czech Republic.

The Labour Office notes that a stable unemployment rate is typical for the summer months, as employers tend to avoid major staffing changes during the holiday season.

By the end of August, 3,232 people had started new positions in educational institutions, making education the sector with the highest number of new employees. The wholesale trade, catering, and hospitality sectors followed but with a significantly lower number of new hires.

“At the end of August and the beginning of September, we always see an influx of recent graduates and young people registering with the employment office. In August, they made up four percent of all job seekers, the same proportion as in 2022 and 2023,” said Daniel Krištof, Director-General of the Labour Office.

Krištof emphasized that school leavers and young people who did not get into further education or secure a job should register with the Labour Office to avoid having to pay for their own health insurance.

The Ústí nad Labem region recorded the highest unemployment rate last month at six percent, while Prague had the lowest at 2.9 percent. Among the districts, Most had the highest rate at 8.5 percent, while Prague-East had the lowest at just 1.5 percent.

In August, there were 1.1 job seekers per available job in the Czech Republic.

The Karviná region experienced the highest job market imbalance, with 10.5 applicants for every vacancy. Conversely, Mladá Boleslav had the most favorable ratio, with just 0.2 job seekers per open position.

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