The Czech labour market remains robust: in May, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.2 per cent. This was announced today by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. At the same time, the number of job vacancies has risen again—especially in tourism, catering and accommodation, where employers are increasingly seeking staff in the run-up to the summer season.
“The labour market remains in very good shape,” said Labour Minister Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL). “Preparations for the peak season are particularly noticeable in the hospitality and tourism sectors. I am delighted that the Czech Republic is one of the countries with the lowest unemployment rates in the EU over the long term.”
According to the Employment Agency, there are currently more than 4,300 vacancies in the accommodation, catering and tourism sectors alone—a total of over 9,000 unfilled positions across these sectors. This corresponds to 11.2 per cent of all reported vacancies. There are particularly many vacancies in Prague, Central Bohemia and South Moravia—all regions with strong summer tourism.
Regional differences in unemployment
In a regional comparison, unemployment remains highest in the Ústí nad Labem region, although it fell to 6.5 per cent there in May. In the Moravian-Silesian Region, the rate remained at 6.0 per cent. Compared to the previous month, the unemployment rate fell slightly in six regions, including Karlovy Vary, South Bohemia, South Moravia, Olomouc, Vysočina and Ústí nad Labem. The decline was 0.1 percentage points in each case.
However, over the year as a whole, some regions showed the opposite trend: unemployment in Karlovy Vary rose by 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous year, and in the Liberec and Moravian-Silesian regions by 0.8 points each.
Demand for labour remains high
At the end of May, a total of over 96,000 job vacancies were registered with the Employment Agency—a slight increase compared to April. Once again, most of the vacancies were in Prague (23,805 jobs) and Central Bohemia (15,344 jobs). Nationwide, there are on average about 3.3 job seekers per vacancy—particularly high numbers in structurally weak districts such as Karviná (23.5), Sokolov (15.4) and Děčín (13.2).
The most sought-after professions are construction workers, cooks, forklift drivers, warehouse workers, assembly workers, truck drivers and cleaning staff.
