In December, the number of job seekers increased by 16,053 to a total of 306,478, and the unemployment rate increased to 4.1%. That is 27,251 more when compared to the same period of 2023. The unemployment rate increased to 4.4% for women and to 3.8% for men.
A month-on-month increase in the unemployment rate was recorded in all 77 districts, highest in the districts - Chrudim (by 17.6%), Jindřichův Hradec (by 16.8%), Prachatice (by 16.8%), Klatovy (by 15.9%), Strakonice (by 14.2%), Břeclav (by 13.7%), Bruntál (by 13.6%), Třebíč (by 12.5%).
The unemployment rate increased again in December, the third month in a row following October and November. However, this is not a new phenomenon, as we have seen similar increases at the end of the year in the previous five years, ranging between 0.2% and 0.3%. Traditionally, the rising unemployment rate in December is mainly reflecting reduced hirings, which many companies postpone until January due to the holidays in the second half of the month. We may also see a slight increase in unemployment in the first quarter, reflecting the end of temporary jobs contracted until the end of the year and the termination of fixed-term contracts. The performance of the German economy, which is a key trading partner for Czech companies, especially in the automotive sector and its subcontracting chains, will be decisive for the overall development of unemployment in the coming period.
As at 31 December 2024, the Czech Labour Office registered a total of 246,573 vacancies. That is 9,068 fewer than in the previous month and 25,216 fewer than in December 2023. On average, there was 1.2 job seeker per vacancy, with the highest numbers reported in the districts of Karviná (11.4), Hodonín (7.8), Děčín (6.9), Bruntál (6.6), Sokolov (4.7), Jeseník (4.6), Most (4.3), Jablonec nad Nisou (4.2).
According to the latest available data, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate, processed by EUROSTAT for the purposes of international comparison, reached 2.6% in the Czech Republic in October, as compared to 5.8% in the EU27. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Czech Republic was 2.6%, compared to 5.9% in the EU27.
In the 3rd quarter of 2024, the average gross nominal monthly salary* (hereinafter “average salary”) was CZK 45,412, which is CZK 2,973 (7.0%) higher than in the same period in 2023. Consumer prices increased by 2.3% during this period, and real wages increased by 4.6% as a result. The amount of salaries increased by 7.2%, and the number of employees grew by 0.2%. Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average salary grew by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter of 2024.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, the median salary (CZK 40,482) increased by 6.6%, which corresponds to CZK 42,893 for men and CZK 37,824 for women. Eighty percent of employees received salaries between CZK 21,349 and CZK 77,014.
source: MPSV, ČSÚ,
ec.europa.eu
* calculated to the number of employees in the national economy