Finding part-time work in Czechia is about to get easier

Part-time work has not yet taken off in the Czech Republic. In fact, a recent survey revealed that only ten percent of Czech employees have a part-time job.

Experts say part-time positions aren't as common in the Czech Republic as elsewhere due to the administrative burdens and the higher training costs of hiring part-time employees.

The Ministry of Labor plans to pass a bill that would give companies incentives to hire part-time workers. It's hoped the change would benefit those who need part-time opportunities the most.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka said the bill would offer employers premium insurance discounts that allow them to deduct up to five percent of the total assessment base for certain employees.

The details of the bill are now being discussed among the ministry's working group for pension reform as the discount would apply not only to students under the age of 26, parents with children under 10, and primary caregivers, but those of pre-retirement and retirement age as well.

It isn't clear how the policy would impact the state budget but Jurečka says that activating the labor market would have positive results.

"The little that the state will lose in levies will significantly exceed the fact that we will get a large group of people to work. It will come back with higher performance of companies and the economy," he said. 

The latest survey by Grafton Recruitment agency reveals that only ten percent of Czech employees are involved in part-time work and another three percent share a position with another part-time employee.

Despite the growing interest among employees in Czechia for part-time jobs, the majority of companies haven't yet responded with flexible work arrangements.

"Compared to other EU countries, Czechia lags far behind in this respect. Just for comparison, in the Netherlands, almost 37 percent of employees have a part-time job," said Grafton director Martin Malo.

Currently, those seeking to go part-time must come to an individual agreement with their employer but priority is typically given to colleagues caring for school-age children, pregnant women, and caregivers.

Malo predicts that as inflation increases, the demand for part-time jobs from students and parents on parental leave will grow. The good news? Some sectors increasingly offer such work opportunities.

Grafton reports that IT employees (eighty-three percent), white-collar workers (seventy percent), and business services workers (sixty-eight percent) have the most flexibility at work.