Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose to 4.1% in December 2024, marking an increase compared to the previous month. The Labour Office registered 306,478 jobseekers, a rise of over 16,000 compared to November. Despite this increase, the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic remains the lowest in the European Union, according to EUROSTAT.
Throughout 2024, the number of registered unemployed individuals consistently exceeded the previous year’s figures. Although the unemployment rate was higher at the start of 2024 than in 2023, its trajectory closely mirrored that of 2022. In the first half of 2024, the unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage point higher than in 2023. In the second half of the year, the gap began to widen, reaching 0.4 percentage points by the end of December 2024. Unlike in autumn 2023, when the unemployment rate fell to match the 2022 level by year-end, this trend did not recur in 2024. However, according to EUROSTAT, the Czech Republic still boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the entire EU.
“Since the beginning of this year, we have taken another significant step in digitalisation, which will make life easier for many people and enhance the efficiency of state services. The employment agenda is now online, and I am pleased to report that thousands have already used the option to submit applications for employment services and unemployment benefits, saving them a trip to the office. Regarding the current state of unemployment in the Czech Republic, it has risen slightly, but we still maintain the lowest rate in the entire European Union,” said Minister of Labour Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) in a press release from the Labour Office of the Czech Republic (Úřad práce ČR).
In December 2024, 38,637 individuals were newly registered with the Czech Labour Office. In a regional comparison, the unemployment rate rose in all regions, except for Prague, compared to the previous month. The largest increase in unemployment compared to November was observed in the South Moravia, Moravian-Silesian, and Central Bohemia regions. At the same time, the number of job vacancies fell slightly to 246,573 in December, down from 255,641 in November.
In December 2024, the Ústí nad Labem (6.2%) and Moravian-Silesian (5.8%) regions recorded the highest unemployment rates among people aged 15 to 64. These regions also had the highest unemployment rates during the same period in 2023. In contrast, Prague (2.8%) and the Pilsen region (3.3%) had the lowest unemployment rates. Notable increases in unemployment were particularly sharp in the Olomouc, Moravian-Silesian, and Liberec regions, where the unemployment rate rose by 0.6 percentage points compared to December 2024. These differences were even more pronounced at the district level.
The lowest unemployment rates at the end of December were found in the districts of Praha-východ (1.5%), Praha-západ (1.6%), Plzeň-jih (2.2%), and Rychnov nad Kněžnou (2.3%). In contrast, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in the districts of Karviná (8.5%), Most (8.4%), Bruntál (8.1%), and Chomutov (7.1%). Compared to November, the unemployment rate rose particularly sharply in the Chrudim district, with an increase of 17.6%.
Over the past year, the structure of jobseekers has shifted in terms of how long they have been registered with the Czech Labour Office. In a year-on-year comparison, the proportion of those unemployed for less than three months fell by 2.7 percentage points to 30.9%, affecting a total of 94,743 people. In contrast, the proportion of jobseekers who have been listed as unemployed for more than 12 months rose by 1.5 percentage points to 31% (94,899 people). The average duration of unemployment fell by 11 days compared to November, reaching 484 days.
