Jobless figure in Czech Republic lowest in six years
The number of people out of work in the Czech Republic is lower than at any point in the last six years, according to figures released on Monday by the country’s Office of Labour. In May 465,689 people were jobless, the fewest since June 2009.
The situation on the labour market has been primarily influenced by the growing Czech economy and availability of seasonal work in construction, agriculture, services, tourism and several other sectors, according to the Office of Labour’s Kateřina Sadílková.
The government agency expects employers to keep hiring in the coming months, causing the unemployment rate to fall further.
In May a relatively high number of jobs were going in manufacturing and a slew of other mainly blue collar fields from stove-fitting to tool-making.
Czech companies’ increasing economic potential has been leading to demand for labour across the board, Jan Karmazín of the Office of Labour told the Czech News Agency.
The number of positions offered in May was 92,701, according to the Office of Labour. This is the highest figure recorded since December 2008, a few months after the global financial crisis entered an acute phase.
The figure for available jobs last month was 9,000 higher than the figure for April and almost 45,000 higher than for May 2014.
The number of applicants per vacant position has fallen to “only” five at nationwide level. However, in some districts the figures are considerably higher, particularly in North Bohemia and North Moravia/Silesia.
The worst-off parts of the country positions-wise include Bruntál (20.9 applicants per job), Karviná (17.3), Chomutov (16.8), Ústí nad Labem (15.2), Most (13.6) and Hodonín (12.3).
The districts with the highest jobless rates are Most (12.1 %), Ústí nad Labem (11.5 %), Karviná (11.4 %), Bruntál (11.1 %), the city of Ostrava (10.5 %), Chomutov (10.2 %), Děčín and Sokolov (both 9 %).
The best-off parts of the country in this respect are, as is “traditional”, Prague and Central Bohemia.
Considerably below the national average are the districts of Prague-West (2.9 %), Prachatice (3.4 %), Benešov and Rychnov nad Kněžnou (both 3.5 %), Rokycany (3.6 %), Pelhřimov and Mladá Boleslav (both 3.8 %).
While all of the country’s regions saw a fall in unemployment in May, the biggest swing – 14.3 percent – was recorded in Jindřichův Hradec.
Just under 20 percent of the Czech Republic’s job seekers are receiving unemployment benefits, roughly the same percentage as for May 2014. Ninety-one thousand people are on such support.
