The Labour Office of the Czech Republic (ÚP ČR) registered a total of 289 003 job seekers as of 31 October 2024, 1 902 fewer than in September. The share of unemployed fell to 3.8 % at the end of October. In the year-on-year comparison, the share of unemployed was 0.3 percentage point higher, i.e. by 28,362 jobseekers. The Labour Office arranged work for 27,386 jobseekers in October, which is 57 % more than in the same period last year. Since the beginning of the year, this brings the total number of mediated jobs to 238 027, an increase of 82 % year-on-year. The number of retraining, a key activity leading to better jobs, doubled year-on-year in October, with a total of 35,646 people taking part since the start of the year. The number of registered jobseekers was 23,031 higher than the number of registered vacancies in October. This is the eleventh month in a row that demand has exceeded supply. The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic is again the second lowest in the EU.
This month also confirmed a long-term trend whereby, after an increase in the number of registered jobseekers in September due to the arrival of graduates, the number of jobseekers fell in October. This time it was a month-on-month drop of just under 2,000 people. This is because graduates from secondary schools and universities are gradually starting to find employment. October is also a month when the effect of the end of seasonal work is not yet fully visible, which pushes up the numbers of unemployed people, especially among the self-employed, in the following months.
"Since the beginning of the year, we have helped 238 000 people find new jobs through the Labour Office. This represents a year-on-year increase of 82 %. In addition, with the support of the Job Centre, over 35,000 people have upskilled this year, a key activity leading to better jobs. The Czech Republic also boasts the second lowest unemployment rate in the European Union. This clearly shows that our measures are working," said the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL).
Since July, a total of 1,035 people have benefited from the new Outplacement II programme, which helps to mitigate the consequences of mass redundancies and to get people back into the labour market as soon as possible after their dismissal, of which 941 are in the Moravian-Silesian region due to the situation in Liberty Ostrava. In addition to individual counselling and retraining, the programme offers a wage subsidy for future employers of up to CZK 15,000 for up to nine months.
"The Czech Labour Office has a key task - to help people. Every day our employees fulfil this mission by supporting clients in their job search, actively offering retraining courses and helping to strengthen their chances on the labour market. I would like to express my sincere thanks for their commitment in managing Liberty Ostrava's extraordinary event." says the Director General of the ÚP ČR Daniel Kristof and it goes on: "The work they do is extremely important and irreplaceable. Thanks to the efforts of our staff, the Authority is visibly improving and I am confident that this positive trend will continue. It is their dedication and professionalism that allows us to deliver on the vision of the Authority. Together, we are achieving results that positively impact the lives of many people."
The current situation on the labour market in the Czech Republic is also commented by Josef Středula, Chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions: "Unemployment in the Czech Republic is still low, but the entire labour market is clearly already undergoing many fundamental, especially structural, changes. On the one hand, many employers are still facing labour shortages, on the other hand, the Czech economy is still not showing significant growth. As a result, mass redundancies are taking place in a number of sectors, especially energy-intensive ones." It is reminiscent of the collapse of Liberty Ostrava. "The importance of cooperation between the unions and the authorities was demonstrated in this, the largest case in modern history that the Labour Office has dealt with so actively through its mobile teams. Vulnerable workers were provided with assistance and many of them have already found new jobs thanks to support programmes. In the Czech Republic, the situation of failure to match labour market supply and demand persists. Moreover, the number of vacancies in the Czech Republic has increased again, but these jobs are often offered at low wages - even below the so-called guaranteed wage - and are highly overvalued," The middle.
In October 2024, 39,532 people were newly registered in the Czech Labour Office. In the regional comparison, the share of unemployed persons in the South Bohemia Region increased month-on-month. In absolute terms, the largest month-on-month increases in the number of jobseekers were recorded in the South Bohemian Region and the Vysočina Region. Compared to the previous month, the number of job vacancies increased slightly to 265 972 (September - 264 654).
A large number of refugees are working, women predominate
According to the ÚP, at the end of October 2024, there were a total of 149 800 valid employment relationships with persons from Ukraine with temporary protection (this is a qualified estimate). Women predominated in these employment relationships, with 92,842 (i.e. approximately 62 % employment relationships). Most of them were carried out in the Central Bohemia Region (26 792), Prague (25 259) and the Pilsen Region (20 352). Most often, persons with temporary protection work as helpers in construction, production and transport or as assemblers of products and equipment, as well as as operators of stationary machinery and equipment. In certain areas, employers have thus gained much-needed workers.
At the end of October, the ÚP registered a total of 15 783 citizens of Ukraine with temporary protection (15 619 in September) who had applied for inclusion in the register of jobseekers (2238 jobseekers, 2111 jobseekers in September) or for job placement (13 545 jobseekers, 13 508 jobseekers in September). Out of the total number of jobseekers, citizens of Ukraine with temporary protection accounted for 5.5 % (5.4 % in September). From the outbreak of war in Ukraine until 31 October 2024, a total of 61 139 (59 949 in September) persons with temporary protection were registered with the Office of the Czech Republic.
One of the most common barriers to the exercise of skilled professions is the language barrier for this group of clients. Therefore, the Office of the Czech Republic offers citizens from Ukraine with temporary protection, among other things, assistance with the financing of retraining courses in the Czech language for foreigners, which so far (since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine) have been attended by a total of 16 454 citizens from Ukraine with temporary protection and 12 949 of them have already graduated. In October 2024, 923 citizens from Ukraine with temporary protection started the course (935 in September, 407 in August, 526 in July, 618 in June, 618 in June, 797 in May, 849 in April, 926 in March, 903 in February and 544 in January) and 525 of them successfully completed the retraining in this month.
Unemployment rose year-on-year in all regions except Prague, the lowest in Ústí nad Olomouc Region, Jesenicko Region suffers from floods
The highest share of unemployed persons (share of available jobseekers aged 15-64) was in October in the Ústí nad Labem Region (6.1 %) and the Moravian-Silesian Region (5.5 %). These regions had the highest share of unemployed persons in the same period last year. On the other hand, the lowest unemployment rates were in Prague (2.8 %), the Pilsen Region and the Vysočina Region (3.0 %). Year-on-year, the situation changed most in the Ústí nad Olomouc Region, where the share of unemployed persons increased by 0.7 percentage point compared to October 2023. At the district level, the differences are even more pronounced. The lowest unemployment rates at the end of October were in the districts of Praha-východ (1.4 %), Praha-západ (1.6 %), Plzeň-jih (2.1 1 %), Rychnov nad Kněžnou (2.1 1 %) and Pelhřimov (2.3 %). On the other hand, the highest share of unemployed was reported in the districts of Most (8.4 %), Karviná (8.3 %), Bruntál (7.0 %) and Chomutov (6.9 %). Compared to September, unemployment increased most in the district of Jeseník (by 9 %). This increase was not only due to the high seasonality of jobs in this region, but also to the effects of the recent devastating floods.
More than a third of the unemployed are people over 50, the share of apprentices and secondary school graduates is growing
The average age of the unemployed was 42.3 years in October, compared to 42.3 last year. The age structure of job seekers has not changed significantly over the last five years. And even over the past 12 months there have been only slight changes.
Year-on-year, the share of unemployed persons in the age group up to 29 years rose by 0.4 percentage point in October and by 0.2 percentage point in the 50-plus category. As of 31 October 2024, a total of 102,323 jobseekers aged 50+ were registered with the Office of the Labour Office and accounted for 35.4 % of the total number of unemployed. In terms of educational level, jobseekers with lower qualifications, mainly apprenticeship without matriculation and primary education, were most often unemployed.
In the past month, 37,800 persons with disabilities (PWD) - 13.1 % of the total unemployed - were looking for work. Employers offered them a total of 11 490 vacancies through the Office of the Czech Republic. The most common positions were for cleaners and domestic helpers, security guards, production workers or assembly workers.
Changes in the structure of the unemployed by level of education show that the highest year-on-year increases were recorded for applicants with an apprenticeship (by 8,903) and for applicants with a secondary education (by 7,718). As regards the breakdown by occupation, at the end of October the largest number of auxiliary and unskilled workers were registered with the Office of the Czech Labor Office (83,718).
At the end of October, the ÚP registered a total of 19 043 minors (aged 15-18) and school leavers of all educational levels. This is a month-on-month decrease of 251 people and a year-on-year increase of 2,519 people. They accounted for 6.6 % of the total unemployment (September - 6.6 %, October 2023 - 6.3 %). Within this category of graduates and juveniles, the ÚP of the CR registered a total of 13 604 graduates and a total of 5 477 juveniles (September - 5115, October 2023 - 4829); juveniles accounted for 1.9 % of the total number of job seekers. As with other groups of jobseekers at risk of long-term unemployment, the ÚP CR pays increased attention to these clients. Career counsellors from the Information and Counselling Centres pay special attention to teenagers, inviting them to individual meetings and working intensively with them.
Candidates are on the register for an average of 493 days
The structure of jobseekers according to the length of time they have been registered with the Office of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic has changed over the past 12 months. In a year-on-year comparison, the share of those who have been unemployed for less than three months in the total number of unemployed fell by 1.4 percentage points to 33.1 %. This is a total of 95 794 persons. In contrast, the share of jobseekers who have been registered for more than 12 months increased by 1.1 percentage point to 31.8 % (91 784 persons). The average length of registration increased by six days to 493 days compared to September.
27,386 people found a new job in October thanks to the Job Centre, more than half as many as last year
During October, 39 532 people newly registered with the ÚP ČR. This is a month-on-month decrease of 13 274 people (25.1 %) and a year-on-year increase of 1 460 (3.8 %). The Moravian-Silesian Region (5,066) and the Central Bohemian Region (4,748) reported the highest number of new unemployed. On the other hand, the Karlovy Vary Region has the lowest number of newly unemployed (1,266).
entered the registration of the ÚP ČR in Prague (4043) and the least in the Rokycany district (164). Currently, people who come from e.g. retail trade, public administration, wholesale trade, education, defence and social security, production of metal constructions, catering and hospitality, or production of machinery and equipment apply for job placement and inclusion in the register of the Office of the Czech Republic.
In October, the ÚP managed to find new jobs for 27 386 people (57 % more than last year, compared to 31 845 in September). On the other hand, 41 434 jobseekers left the register, i.e. 6787 fewer people (14.1 1 %) than in the previous month and 983 more people (2.4 %) than in October 2023. 31 436 people got a new job. Many of them found employment in retail trade, education, wholesale trade, health care, fabricated metal products, and public administration.
Less than a third of registered jobseekers receive unemployment support
In October, 83 885 persons received unemployment benefits, which represents 29 % of all jobseekers (September 2024 - 28.9 %, October 2023 - 28.3 %). The number of jobseekers eligible for unemployment benefits increased by 10 227 year-on-year. On average, jobseekers received CZK 11 576 per month (September - CZK 11 593). Unemployment benefits up to CZK 4 500 were received by 2 769 (3.3 %) persons. These are mainly clients who came to the registration of the ÚP ČR, for example, after the end of parental leave, took care of a close person or were temporarily unable to work after the end of gainful employment. The maximum amount of support, i.e. CZK 24 608, was paid by the ÚP ČR to 4290 (5.1 %) jobseekers in October.
In October 2024, according to preliminary data, the ÚP paid out a total of CZK 1 074 008 thousand in unemployment benefits and retraining. CZK 1,118,648 thousand in September 2024.
The number of job vacancies is growing for the third month in a row, employers are looking for the most people in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region
At the end of the previous month, employers offered a total of 265 972 vacancies through the ÚP ČR, 1 318 more than in September and 14 524 fewer than a year ago (down by 5 %). On average, there are currently about 1.1 jobseekers per vacancy in the Czech Republic. Of these, most are in the districts of Karviná (10.5), Děčín (6.5), Bruntál (6.2), and Hodonín (5.7). In 73.9 % of the reported vacancies employers are looking for candidates with primary or lower education, while 69.1 % are vacancies suitable for foreigners. According to the records of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, employers are most often interested in building construction workers, assembly workers, forklift truck operators and warehouse workers, cooks, truck and tractor-trailer drivers or cleaners. The highest demand for new employees is in Prague (81,599 jobs) and in the Central Bohemia Region (51,253 jobs). As part of its key activity of monitoring the labour market, the ÚP helps employers to fill vacancies and job seekers with job placement. Among other things, it organises selection procedures for companies, thematic seminars or helps with retraining.
Active employment policy: over 35,000 retrained since the beginning of the year
The ÚP of the Czech Republic pays increased attention to all groups of applicants and candidates at risk of long-term unemployment. As of 31 October, a total of 17 338 jobseekers and jobseekers were supported through active employment policy (AEP) instruments (this is the total number of all jobseekers or jobseekers who used any AEP instrument at the end of October 2024).
At the end of October, for example, 613 people were working as part of community service (VPP). The employment of 5,931 people was supported by funds under the Dedicated Socially Useful Jobs (SÚPM). For nine people, employers created completely new jobs, under which the ÚP ČR contributes to their equipment (SÚPM). Another 576 former jobseekers were running their own businesses at the end of October 2024 with the support obtained through SÚPM.
A commuter allowance also helps with the return to the labour market. In October 2024, the ÚP supported 330 people in this way. The ÚP also pays increased attention to people with disabilities (PWD), who also receive employment support allowances. As of the end of the previous month, 312 PWD were supported in this way. An important tool of the APZ is retraining, through which the ÚP of the Czech Republic financially helps not only job seekers but also job seekers, i.e. those who have a job. As of 31 October 2024, 6,825 people had participated in them (as of 31 October 2023, 3,407 people, i.e. 100 % more year-on-year). A total of 35,646 clients have entered retraining since the start of this year, of which 18,007 have been retrained through digital training funded through the National Recovery Plan.
The most frequently implemented retraining are Czech language courses for foreigners, computer courses and courses aimed at obtaining driving licences, including professional qualifications.
There is also an interest in public service. In total, the ÚP ČR has 2 497 positions contracted with its organizers, mainly municipalities, non-profit organizations, primary and kindergarten schools, and libraries. Most of them are in the Ústí nad Labem Region (886) and the Moravian-Silesian Region (642). These are not only activities to ensure the cleanliness of streets and other public spaces and greenery, but also activities that people perform during publicly accessible sporting, cultural and similar events. Last but not least, public service also takes place in the form of auxiliary activities in the provision of social care (e.g. outpatient and field social services), etc.
A total of 3,181 people joined the civil service in October. The public service is mainly performed by people in material need, who thus fulfil the obligation of activation and the effort to increase their income through their own work. The benefit is that, if they work more than 30 hours a month, they also receive an increase in the minimum subsistence allowance on which the amount of the living allowance is calculated.
Information leaflets for clients and public service organisers can be downloaded here: https://www.uradprace.cz/web/cz/pomoc-v-hmotne-nouzi.
Information on unemployment trends is published on www.mpsv.cz/web/cz/mesicni.
ÚP ČR/ gnews - RoZ
PHOTO - gnews
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