More Part-Time Jobs in the Czech Republic – Still Well Below EU Average

The share of part-time employees in the Czech Republic is growing. Compared with the EU average, however, this form of employment remains significantly less widespread.

More and more people in the Czech Republic are working part-time. Nevertheless, the share of such employment relationships remains well below the average of the European Union. This is shown by the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) and Eurostat.

At the end of last year, around 514,200 people in the Czech Republic were working part-time as part of a regular employment contract. That is almost 30,000 more than in 2024 and around 70,000 more than in 2023. Overall, this corresponds to just under ten percent of all employees.

In a European comparison, however, the share remains low: according to the latest available data, the average proportion of part-time employees in the European Union stood at 17.1 percent in 2024.

As the news channel ČT24 reports, part-time work remains comparatively rare on the Czech labour market despite the rising figures. One reason is the widespread use of other forms of employment, such as short-term work arrangements like the so-called DPP (Dohoda o provedení práce) or DPČ contracts (Dohoda o pracovní činnosti). These are often more attractive for employers. While part-time employees are subject to social contributions – albeit reduced – companies do not have to pay social insurance contributions for many of these short-term contracts.

Demand continues to exceed supply

Part-time jobs in the Czech Republic are predominantly used by women. According to data from the statistical office, they account for more than 70 percent of part-time employees. This working model is particularly common among women aged between 30 and 44 who want to combine work and childcare.

Due to the lack of part-time opportunities, many parents turn to other forms of employment. Some choose self-employment because suitable working conditions with an employer are difficult to find. Similar challenges also affect students and older workers. Experts therefore see a wider availability of part-time positions as an important approach to keeping more people – including those of retirement age – in the labour market in the future.