Minimum wage to be lowered to motivate employment

The Cabinet has decided to lower the minimum wage to motivate people into preferring lower paid jobs to unemployment benefits. The minimum monthly wage, which currently stands at 4,300 Czech crowns (some 180 US dollars), is to be reduced to 2,870 crowns (120 US dollars). If approved by Parliament and signed by the President, the new minimum could be introduced as early as January 2006.