In September 2024, the Czech Republic recorded a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 3.9% due to the influx of new school leavers into the labor market. Despite these challenges, there are positive developments, particularly the record number of job placements by the labor office.
The most decisive factor influencing the labor market in September was the entry of school leavers. The labor office registered a total of 14,217 university graduates, 13% of whom were unemployed. On a positive note, the labor office successfully placed more individuals in employment—last month alone, 31,845 people were employed, marking the highest number in 31 years.
“It is very pleasing that we are able to successfully integrate more and more people into the labor market,” said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL). “This year, we have achieved a record number of placements, which is a very positive trend.” An important part of the active labor market policy is retraining, which the state offers job seekers to provide them with new opportunities. “The slight increase in unemployment in September was to be expected, as many graduates entered the labor market,” added Jurečka.
In September 2024, 52,806 people newly registered with the Labor Office of the Czech Republic (ÚP ČR). The unemployment rate rose in eight regions compared to the previous month, with the Moravian-Silesian and Central Bohemian regions being particularly affected. At the same time, the number of job vacancies increased slightly to 264,654 (August: 263,247).
The highest proportion of unemployed individuals aged 15 to 64 was recorded in the regions of Ústí nad Labem (6.2%) and Moravian Silesia (5.6%). These regions also had the highest unemployment rates in the previous year. Unemployment was lowest in Prague (2.9%) and in the Vysočina and Pilsen regions (both 3.0%). Compared to the previous year, the situation in the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions deteriorated particularly sharply, with the unemployment rate rising by 0.7 percentage points.
The differences are even more pronounced at the district level. The lowest unemployment rates at the end of September were recorded in the districts of Prague-East (1.5%), Prague-West (1.7%), Plzeň-South (2.1%), Rychnov nad Kněžnou (2.2%), and Pelhřimov (2.3%). In contrast, the highest rates were in Most (8.6%), Karviná (8.4%), Chomutov (7.1%), and Bruntál (6.9%).
Women make up almost 55% of the unemployed, and the average age of job seekers is 42. Of the total number of registered job seekers, 158,941 were women, which corresponds to 54.6% of the total. The unemployment rate for men rose to 3.4%, while that for women stagnated at 4.3%. In September, the average age of the unemployed was 42.1 years, showing only a slight difference compared to the previous year (42.3 years). The age structure of job seekers has hardly changed in the last five years, with only minor fluctuations in the last 12 months.
