The Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs plans to expand and publicize a list of employers who employ people illegally or carry out illegal activities of employment agencies. The “blacklist,” although already in existence, is set to include additional forms of unlawful employment or the facilitation of concealed employment. This typically happens when a company rents out its employees to another company without authorization for the activity of an employment agency.
The list is intended to be publicly accessible. The goal is to provide information about companies that have been fined, with the publication in the record having a deterrent effect. Job seekers, the general public, and businesses will gain insight into reputable and non-reputable employers and refuse cooperation with companies that violate legal regulations.
Illegal employment is often associated with labor exploitation and results in lower collection of taxes and social and health insurance payments. However, employers are not welcoming these proposals around the blocklist. They argue that it could jeopardize competitiveness and the economic existence of the respective entity.
The amendment also proposes introducing a points system for foreigners, favoring more qualified, experienced, and better linguistically equipped individuals when granting work permits. This will be accompanied by another adjustment defining the length of stay of foreign workers and rules for their families staying in the Czech Republic.
Approved employers will have the right to preferential processing of requests for the arrival of a worker from abroad. A condition for including an employer in the records will be no indebtedness to the state and two years without a fine for enabling illegal work or concealed brokerage. The company should also not have repeated penalties of more than 50,000 crowns for violating regulations in the past.
After comments, the amendment must be approved by the government parliament and signed by the president. It would come into effect from January 2026.