In July, the number of job seekers totaled 367,346, which is 37,845 more than last year, and the unemployment rate rose to 5.0%. The number of newly registered individuals was 7,162 higher compared to the previous month, and 2,896 higher year-on-year.
Among the regions, the highest unemployment rates remain in the Ústí nad Labem Region (7.3%) and the Moravian-Silesian Region (7.0%). Compared to June, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points only in the Karlovy Vary Region; an increase of 0.1 percentage points was recorded in the Capital City of Prague, the Ústí nad Labem Region, and the Plzeň Region, while in the remaining regions the increase was 0.2 percentage points.
At the district level, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in the districts of Karviná (10.4%), Most (10.2%), Bruntál (8.4%), Chomutov (8.1%), followed by Sokolov (7.7%). Conversely, very low unemployment—below 3%—is traditionally reported by the Czech Labour Office in the districts of Prague-East and Prague-West, as well as in Rychnov nad Kněžnou. Women accounted for 54.5% of the total number of job seekers (a total of 200,094).
July's unemployment rate surprisingly rose, despite the influence of seasonal work. Companies significantly scale back their recruitment activities due to summer vacations and holidays, typically postponing the onboarding of new employees until September. This year, high summer temperatures also contributed to this, causing blue-collar workers (manual laborers) in particular to delay interviews until cooler weather. The long-term stagnation of Czech industry also had an impact, limiting the demand for labor in key manufacturing sectors.
However, we remain cautious in our outlook for the future. Developments in the German market, which continues to stagnate, may also have an adverse impact on the domestic economy. Furthermore, towards the end of summer, seasonal work winds down, and secondary school and university graduates begin registering with the Labour Office.
As of the end of July, employers offered a total of 100,932 vacancies through the Czech Labour Office, which is 1,078 more than in June and 5,379 more than a year ago. The highest number of job vacancies is repeatedly offered by employers in Prague (23,227 positions) and the Central Bohemian Region (14,412 positions).
On average, there are currently approximately 3.6 applicants per vacancy in the Czech Republic, with the highest ratios in the districts of Karviná (19.1), Sokolov (18.3), Ústí nad Labem (17.0), Děčín (16.4), and Bruntál (10.5).
In the 1st quarter of 2026, the average gross nominal monthly salary* (hereinafter “average salary”) was CZK 50,282. That is CZK 3,789 (8.1%) higher when compared to the same period of 2025. Consumer prices increased by 1.6% during this period, and real wages increased by 6.4% as a result. The amount of salaries increased by 8.8%, and the number of employees grew by 0.6%. Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average salary grew by 2.0% during the 1st quarter of 2026.
source: MPSV, ČSÚ, ÚP ČR
* calculated to the number of employees in the national economy