Unemployment in Czechia increases year on year but remains lowest in EU

Unemployment in Czechia fell to 3.7 percent in March, down by two-tenths of a percentage point from February, according to the Czech Labor Office. This is a slight increase, though, compared to last March, when unemployment in the Czech Republic was 3.4 percent.

The European Union’s statistical office Eurostat, which uses a different methodology to calculate unemployment, only has data up to February, but based on that Czechia still has the lowest unemployment in the bloc. The EU average in February was 6.3 percent while Czechia was at 2.6 percent.

At the end of March, the Labor Office said roughly 273,500 people were without work, or 9,000 fewer than in the previous month. The number of vacant jobs rose by about 1,400, with employers offering around 284,500 jobs in March.

The labor market development currently corresponds to the time of year when unemployment is higher in winter and decreases with the arrival of spring. Labor and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurečka said March is a typical month when employers' interest in community service is growing, especially during spring cleaning of public spaces.

"We expect the main onset of these activities in April. The good news is that in the coming months, unemployment could very likely decrease even further," Jurečka said in a press release.

Employers are still interested in new employees, mainly in blue-collar and highly skilled professions. There is a long-term demand for skilled craftsmen, the Labor Office said.

In the previous month, people found jobs in retail, construction, public administration, defense and security, wholesale, and education. Self-employed people who have temporarily suspended their businesses are also currently resuming activities.

The lowest unemployment rates in March were recorded in March in the Zlín, Plzeň, and Pardubice regions, all at 2.9 percent. The highest unemployment rates are in the Ústí nad Labem region at 5.7 percent. Unemployment was also still above 5 percent in the Moravia-Silesia region, where it reached 5.1 percent. In Prague, unemployment was at 3.1 percent.

Among the districts, unemployment continued to be lowest in the Prague East (Praha-východ) district, where 1.6 percent of people were looking for work, followed by the Prague West (Praha-západ) districts with 1.7 percent and Pelhřimov with 1.8 percent. The district with the highest rate is Karviná at 8.3 percent.

At the end of March, some 97,120 people from Ukraine with temporary protection were working in Czechia. The largest number was in Central Bohemia (16,721), followed by Pilsen (14,514) and South Moravia (10,400). Most often they worked as assembly workers or helpers in construction, production, and transport.