In October, the number of job seekers increased by 2,583 to a total of 340,509, and the unemployment rate increased to 4.6%. That is 51,506 more when compared to the same period of 2024.
Among the districts, unemployment was highest in the districts of Most (9.7 %), Karviná (9.4 %), Chomutov, Sokolov and Bruntál (all 7.6 %), and Ostrava (7.2 %) and lowest, i.e. below 3%, in the districts of Prague-East and Prague-West, but also in Rychnov nad Kněžnou and Pelhřimov.
The October unemployment rate showed an increase, which is due to a combination of several factors that have weakened labour demand. Firstly, the data reflects the termination of seasonal jobs, for example in tourism or agriculture. These jobs are usually directly followed by Christmas temporary work in October. However, this trend is not being confirmed this year. We at Randstad do not yet feel an increased demand for temporary workers, even in the areas of e-commerce and logistics.
The willingness of companies to hire new workers is low; businesses across all sectors have restricted hiring. Employees, in turn, are hesitant to change jobs, uncertain that they would find better conditions. However, they would mostly benefit financially if they did make a change, as current salary offers often exceed existing earnings.
The growth in unemployment is also influenced by limitations on the side of job seekers. According to STEM data, one fifth of the unemployed have no one to ask for help when looking for a job, 52% do not receive any social support, and among those registered for 9–12 months, only 18% receive support (often individuals aged 50+). Moreover, one third of applicants do not understand job advertisements, which prolongs the period without work and increases the share of long-term unemployment.
The unemployment increase was not prevented even by GDP development and stabilised inflation. This was due to structural changes in the economy, problems in some export sectors, and the uncertain development in neighbouring Germany. The above-average wage dynamics also continued, forcing some companies to restrict employee hiring and strictly control costs. Within the EU, however, we remain among the top performers in this respect, and concerns may rather be raised by structural differences based on sector, age, or region. In some districts, the unemployment rate attacks the ten percent mark, and in some municipalities, even the twenty percent mark.
We expect unemployment to fluctuate in the coming months, with a temporary increase possibly occurring after the New Year, when companies conclude seasonal hiring and reassess personnel needs for the immediate year ahead. Nevertheless, we anticipate widespread layoffs only in exceptional cases, predominantly in vulnerable companies that are balancing on the brink of collapse.
As at the end of October 2025, the Czech Labour Office registered a total of 93,999 vacancies. That is 1,767 less than in the previous month. The absolute largest number of job vacancies are repeatedly offered by employers in Prague (23,360 positions) and the Central Bohemian Region (14,801 positions). On average, there were 3.6 applicants per vacancy, with the highest number of applicants in the districts of Karviná (22.4), Sokolov (17.1), Děčín (14.1) and Hodonín (12.0).
According to the Czech Labour Office records, employers are most frequently seeking construction workers (builders), truck and tractor-trailer drivers, cooks, forklift operators and warehouse workers, assembly workers, or cleaners.
Unlike the statistics on registered unemployed, data on job vacancies from the labor office do not provide a comprehensive picture of the entire labor market, as many positions are advertised and filled through other platforms.
In the 2nd quarter of 2025, the average gross nominal monthly salary* (hereinafter “average salary”) was CZK 49,402, which is CZK 3,583 (7.8%) higher than in the same period in 2024. Consumer prices increased by 2.4% during this period, and real wages increased by 5.3% as a result. The amount of salaries increased by 8.2%, and the number of employees grew by 0.4%. Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average salary grew by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter of 2025.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, the median salary (CZK 41,115) increased by 7.2%, which corresponds to CZK 44,465 for men and CZK 37,935 for women. Eighty percent of employees received salaries between CZK 22,283 and CZK 80,856.
source: MPSV, ČSÚ, ÚP ČR
* calculated to the number of employees in the national economy