From January, the minimum wage in the Czech Republic will rise significantly: employees on the lowest incomes will receive CZK 22,400 gross per month. The move is being assessed very differently by the government, opposition, trade unions and employers.
From this coming January, the minimum wage in the Czech Republic will increase by CZK 1,600 per month, reaching CZK 22,400 gross. Labour Minister Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) confirmed the figure calculated by the Ministry of Finance to Czech Television (ČT). At the same time, the lowest collectively agreed salaries in the public sector will also rise by almost eight per cent.
Particularly affected are occupational groups traditionally paid the minimum wage, such as unskilled workers or cleaners. With the current CZK 20,800 gross per month, many of them struggle to make ends meet financially.
The government had already decided last autumn that the minimum wage in the coming year should amount to 43.4 per cent of the average income. The Ministry of Finance estimates the latter at just under CZK 51,500 for 2026. Around 118,000 employees – slightly more than three per cent of the workforce – will directly benefit from the increase.
While the governing coalition defends the model of gradually raising the threshold to 47 per cent of the average wage by 2029, the opposition is demanding a faster pace, pointing out that in other countries the minimum level is already set at 50 per cent.
Trade unions are likewise calling for a faster and more substantial increase, as the minimum wage remains well below actual living costs – especially affecting single people and families. Employer representatives, on the other hand, view the automatic calculation mechanism as a sensible compromise.
