The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic rose slightly in November 2024 but remains one of the lowest in the EU. Despite this increase, the country is seeing positive developments in the labour market, particularly through increased support for retraining. This is according to a recent report from the Czech Labour Office (Úřad práce ČR).
In November, the unemployment rate recorded a minimal increase compared to October, with the number of jobseekers rising by 1,422 people. Due to mild weather, seasonal work continued. However, the Labour Office also registered an increase in the number of self-employed individuals who gave up their jobs and registered as unemployed, totaling 2,500 new registrations. The full extent of this increase in self-employed people registering as unemployed will not be visible until December.
“Although the number of unemployed rose slightly in November, the Czech Republic still has the lowest unemployment rate in the EU. The Labour Office can report positive results: since the beginning of the year, over 262,000 people have found employment thanks to its placement services—an increase of 77% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the intensive promotion of retraining, which has increased by 115%, has helped provide better opportunities in the labour market,” explained Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL).
In November 2024, 38,039 people were newly registered with the Labour Office. Regionally, the unemployment rate rose month-on-month, particularly in the Karlovy Vary and Vysočina regions. In absolute figures, the South Moravia, South Bohemia, and Karlovy Vary regions saw the largest increases in the number of jobseekers. Meanwhile, the number of job vacancies fell slightly to 255,641, compared to 265,972 vacancies in October.
The highest unemployment rates were recorded in the Ústí nad Labem (6.0%) and Moravian Silesia (5.5%) regions. The lowest rates were reported in Prague (2.8%) and the Pilsen region (3.0%). Year-on-year, the unemployment rate rose the most in the Olomouc region, where it increased by 0.7 percentage points compared to November 2023.
The differences are even more visible at the district level: the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the districts of Prague-East (1.4%), Prague-West (1.6%) and Pilsen-South (2.1%). By contrast, the highest rates were reported by the districts of Karviná (8.3%), Most (8.2%), and Bruntál (7.0%). The Jeseník district recorded the strongest month-on-month increase at 7.9%.
The structure of jobseekers has also changed over the past year. The proportion of those unemployed for less than three months fell by 2 percentage points to 33.6%. Meanwhile, the proportion of those registered with the Labour Office for more than 12 months rose by 1.5 percentage points to 32.1%. The average duration of unemployment increased by two days compared to October, now standing at 495 days.
