The share of unemployed in the Czech Republic fell to 3.7 % in June, two-tenths of a percentage point lower than in May and the same as in June last year. The number of jobseekers registered with the office fell to 273,302. In contrast, the number of vacancies rose to 355,612, according to data released today by the Czech Labour Office.
According to experts, the reason for the further decline in unemployment is mainly the improving pandemic situation and the lack of workers from abroad. According to the office, the labour market is mainly affected by seasonal jobs in construction, agriculture, forestry, fishing, livestock and food production, hospitality, sales or services. In the context of the relaxation of protection measures, employers operating in sectors that suffered significant economic losses due to the pandemic have resumed their economic activities. A number of the unemployed have also started working in seasonal activities, which are already in full swing, “said Viktor Najmon, Director General of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic.
People are returning to work and we will be checking with the Labour Inspectorate whether companies are not stifling their employees because of the losses, “Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Jana Maláčová (ČSSD) tweeted.
In the coming months, unless the epidemic situation worsens and the current measures are tightened, unemployment could fall slightly further. “In the catering and hotel sectors, for example, we are seeing a gradual increase in the number of job vacancies due to the loosening,” Najmon said.
The highest share of unemployed persons in June was 5.6 % in the Ústí nad Labem Region, followed by the Moravian-Silesian Region with 5.4 % and the Karlovy Vary Region with 5.2 %. These three regions also had the highest share of unemployed persons in June last year, which, according to the Labour Office, corresponds to their long-term economic situation.
On the other hand, the lowest unemployment rate remains in the Pardubice Region – 2.4 %. The situation has changed the most in Prague and the Ústí nad Labem Region, where the share of unemployed persons increased by 0.4 percentage point to 3.4 % and 5.2 %, respectively, compared to June 2020.