The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic fell slightly to 3.8% in October, which can be attributed to an improved employment situation among school and university graduates. Despite seasonal fluctuations, the Czech Republic remains one of the countries with the lowest unemployment rate in the EU.
This month confirms a long-term trend: after a rise in registered jobseekers in September—partly due to the influx of university graduates—the number of jobseekers declined again in October, falling by nearly 2,000 compared to the previous month. This decrease can be attributed to recent graduates from secondary schools and universities gradually finding employment. October is also a month in which the impact of the end of seasonal work is not yet fully felt; however, this effect is likely to increase unemployment, particularly among the self-employed, in the coming months.
“Since the start of the year, we have supported 238,000 people in their job search through employment centres. Additionally, more than 35,000 people have undergone further training this year with labour office support—a significant measure that leads to better jobs. The Czech Republic currently has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the European Union. This clearly shows that our measures are effective,” said Marian Jurečka, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (KDU-ČSL).
Since July, a total of 1,035 people have utilized the new “Outplacement II” program, which aims to mitigate the impact of mass redundancies and reintegrate affected individuals into the labour market as swiftly as possible. The Moravian-Silesian region accounts for 941 of these participants, largely due to the situation at Liberty Ostrava. In addition to individual counselling and retraining, the program also offers a wage subsidy of up to CZK 15,000 for future employers, for up to nine months.
In October 2024, 39,532 people newly registered with the Czech Republic’s Labour Office (ÚP ČR). Regionally, the South Bohemia region saw an increase in the proportion of unemployed compared to the previous month. In absolute figures, the South Bohemia and Vysočina regions recorded the largest monthly increases in jobseekers. Job vacancies rose slightly to 265,972 in October, up from 264,654 in September.
The regions of Ústí nad Labem (6.1%) and Moravian Silesia (5.5%) continued to report the highest unemployment rates in October, similar to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the lowest unemployment rates were seen in Prague (2.8%), the Pilsen region, and the Vysočina region (3.0% each). Year-on-year, the most significant change was observed in the Olomouc region, where the unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage points compared to October 2023.
On a district level, disparities are even more pronounced. At the end of October, the districts of Prahavýchod (1.4%), Praha-západ (1.6%), Plzeň-jih (2.1%), Rychnov nad Kněžnou (2.1%), and Pelhřimov (2.3%) had the lowest unemployment rates. In contrast, the districts of Most (8.4%), Karviná (8.3%), Bruntál (7.0%), and Chomutov (6.9%) recorded the highest rates. Unemployment rose the most in the Jeseník district (by 9%), a result of the region’s highly seasonal employment patterns and the effects of recent severe flooding.
