More companies in Czechia tempt future employees with free housing

As companies in Czechia seek to find and retain talent, some large firms in the country are turning to a new benefit to tempt prospective workers – free housing. As Forbes Czechia writes, spiraling rental costs mean that companies are increasingly likely to offer accommodation as a way to sweeten an employment deal for workers. These are particularly common for foreign workers.

Analysis from real estate site Home Portal finds that up to half of all tenants in new development projects are being part or fully paid for by their companies in Czechia.

"The offer of quality housing close to the workplace can be decisive for employees when choosing between several job offers – and is often a key factor in transferring to another company. People value their free time more, and a long commute can be an insurmountable obstacle," CEO of job portal Welcome to the Jungle Jan Klusoń told Forbes.cz.

The current shortage of workers in the Czech Republic has put a strain on companies nationwide, as per global workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup. According to the firm’s regional recruitment and marketing manager Jiří Halbrštát, the difficulty in finding suitable employees is at a record high.

Forbes points out that companies often offer expats free or subsidized accommodation as part of a job relocation package. This is especially the case for third-country nationals, as this simplifies their visa application (and finding accommodation as a third-country national in Czechia is no straightforward task). Multinational, non-Czech firms are the most likely to do this.

Director of communications at employee-benefits specialist Pluxee Tereza Knířová says that top, C-suite foreign managers are most likely to receive the highest amount of benefits as part of a job offer, including sometimes education for their children. 

Only larger companies can afford to construct apartment buildings or buy large-scale developments just for their employees. Smaller firms often opt for individual apartments they buy and then provide their employees with. 

The government has also been trying to attract workers who are missing in key professions – such as medicine or teaching – by offering free or discounted accommodation. For example, several regions in 2023 offered dentists housing to incentivize their relocation to help ease the shortage of dentists in a specific area.

In terms of other employment-related perks, a 2023 survey from employment site Platy.cz found that the most common benefit was extra vacation time. This was also white-collar workers’ most popular perk. Around half of companies offer meal vouchers, four in 10 offer flexible working hours, and one-third offer supplementary pension insurance.

However, with the government’s consolidation package having removed tax discounts on previously popular non-financial incentives, companies have found new ways to tempt employees.