Unemployment in the Czech Republic stagnated in November. 3.5 percent of people were unemployed, the same as in October and September. 257,187 people were looking for jobs through the employment offices. The number of vacancies on offer fell slightly to just under 292,000 compared to October.
The Czech Labour Office (ÚP ČR) released the data on Thursday, which said unemployment is likely to rise in the coming months. It stood at 3.3 percent last November.
About 1,400 more people were looking for a new job at the end of November than in October. The number of vacancies on offer at the job centers fell by 5,390 month-on-month.
As in the previous month, the unemployment rate remained the highest in the Ústí nad Labem Region, at 5.3 percent. In the second Moravian-Silesian region, 4.9 percent of people were unemployed.
“These regions also had the highest share of unemployed people last year. This corresponds to their long-term economic situation,” the ÚP said. On the other hand, the lowest unemployment rate was in the Pardubice Region, at 2.5 percent.
At the district level, the differences are even more pronounced. The lowest unemployment rate at the end of November was in the Prague-East district, which was 1.5 percent. This is followed by the communities of Pelhřimov and Praha-západ, with a rate of 1.7 percent. At the other end of the ranking were Karviná and Most, with 8.1 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.
“Employers remain interested in employees mainly in technical and blue-collar occupations. The long-term demand is for skilled craftsmen,” said Viktor Najmon, director general of the ÚP ČR.
This year, the winter tourist season is also gradually getting underway without restrictions due to the pandemic. Employers are therefore looking for temporary workers to operate lifts, work in the hospitality industry, or even as ski instructors.
According to the labor office, unemployment will likely rise in the coming months as seasonal work slows down. The labor market situation will also be affected by the impact of the energy crisis on employers. The course of the war in Ukraine or the current epidemic situation may also have an effect.
The unemployment rate in the country stood at 3.3 percent last November. The authorities had registered 245 549 job seekers at the time. Employers offered 344,840 jobs.