Unemployment benefits to be cut

Unemployment benefits should only be paid over a period of five months, instead of the current six, and should be decreasing gradually, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petr Nečas said on Thursday. Mr Nečas believes that planned change will increase the motivation of the unemployed to find a new job.

The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic is now 6.1 percent and keeps dropping due to the country’s growing economy. The maximum monthly unemployment benefit is 11,000 crowns, or over 670 U.S. dollars.