The Czech labor market is on the brink of a massive transformation.

According to a new study commissioned by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, up to 2.3 million jobs will be affected by generative artificial intelligence (genAI) by 2035.

Of these, at least 600,000 roles will undergo major changes, with around 67,000 workers needing to completely switch professions to avoid long-term unemployment.

The report, compiled by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Aspen Institute, highlights how professions such as civil servants, graphic designers, and lawyers are particularly at risk, while demand for nurses, teachers, cooks, and technicians is expected to grow sharply.

GenAI refers to tools that can generate text, images, code, audio, and video. Though still emerging, these technologies are already improving productivity in many sectors.

“A year or two ago, there was a major shortage. Now, demand has eased—not because we’ve trained thousands more developers, but because AI is boosting individual productivity,” said Tomáš Wiedermann, a BCG partner and one of the authors of the study.

The study estimates that while 1.2 million workers will exit the labor market by 2035, 1.9 million new workers will enter. At the same time, 355,000 jobs will vanish, and 955,000 new roles will be created—mostly in sectors requiring new digital skills.

Brains at Risk, Hands in Demand

The biggest job surpluses are expected among lawyers, court clerks, graphic designers, and hairdressers. In contrast, there will be serious shortages in education, healthcare, social work, and food services.

“Replacing mental tasks seems easier than physical ones,” Wiedermann said, noting that some fields, like nursing and cooking, will remain largely AI-proof.

Rigid Market Needs Reform

Jiří Šatava, head of employment policy at the Ministry of Labor, said that the Czech job market is too inflexible. “People in Czechia change jobs less frequently compared to the rest of Europe,” he noted.

To address this, the ministry is pushing a new amendment to the Labor Code—known as the “flexinovela”. The measure, now awaiting the president’s signature, would increase unemployment benefits to 80% of a worker’s net salary during the initial months and raise support for retraining programs, especially for people over 52.

“The current system discourages people from leaving unsatisfying jobs,” Šatava said. “We need to incentivize mobility and lifelong learning.

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