Number of Czech workers moving to Britain almost halves

The United Kingdom was one of only three countries to open its doors to workers from the Czech Republic and other new member states when the EU enlarged in 2004. Since that time, an average of 3,000 Czechs have moved to the UK every three months. But, according to the British Home Office, that figure plummeted by nearly 50 percent in the second quarter of this year. The drop is being attributed to the strength of the crown, and changing trends in Czechs’ migration habits.

British government statistics suggest that the number of Czechs traveling to the UK to work was down by nearly 50 percent in the second quarter of this year. Pavla Škachová is from the Czech Embassy in London:

“Of course we can’t assess the information from the Home Office, because all that we have are estimates. I can’t tell you if it is by half, or more, or less, but definitely the trend is that less Czechs are coming here. That is right.”

Foto: European Commission

The reasons being cited for the drop in new Czech arrivals are mainly economic – since the Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004, the British pound has been, well, pounded by the crown. Czechs used to be able to exchange one pound for nearly 50 crowns, now that’s down to 30. It has also been suggested that the lack of job security in Britain is proving a big disincentive for Czechs. But Pavla Škachová insists that the picture isn’t all that bleak; she says that between the figures, a new wave of immigrants is emerging:

“There is one trend we have noticed amongst the Czechs coming to Britain. There are more and more young people coming to the UK to do the same job as they do in the Czech Republic. So, they are aiming to have this UK job as a good point on their CV, and I personally think that this is a new trend amongst Czechs coming to the United Kingdom.”

London, Great Britain

So it’s goodbye to the Czech plumber and hello to the young Czech professional wanting to further his or her career. Ms Škachová and her colleagues at the embassy may be calling this change in labour migration a ‘new trend’, but agree that the roots of the shift go back as far as the Czech Republic’s EU entry four years ago. She told me what it was like before that time:

“We noticed that Czechs were working in health and medical services, and in manufacturing and in agricultural activities. And since we have entered the European Union, the majority of Czechs living in the UK are working in administration, in business and management services, and in hospitality and catering.”

So less Czechs are traveling to Britain to work, but that those who do are eyeing top jobs. But for all the changing trends in Czech labour migration, one thing seems to remain the same. The majority of Czechs, it appears, want to stay in Britain for a couple of years, and then return to their homeland – be it armed with British pounds or an impressive CV.