In January, the number of job seekers increased to a total of 378,547, which was 58,031 more than last year, and the unemployment rate climbed to 5.1%. The number of newly registered persons in January was 26,000 higher than in the previous month and 14,486 higher year-on-year.
The increase in unemployment was noticeable across all regions. Regarding individual districts, the highest unemployment rates in January were recorded in Most (10.3%), Karviná (9.9%), Bruntál (9.3%), followed by Sokolov (8.2%), Chomutov (8.0%), and Znojmo (7.9%). Conversely, the Labour Office of the CR traditionally records very low unemployment—below 3%—in the districts of Prague-East and Prague-West, as well as in Rychnov nad Kněžnou.
January is annually a period of rising unemployment, which was confirmed again this year. At the beginning of the year, seasonal work ends, as do labor agreements and fixed-term contracts, leading to a temporary increase in the number of people out of work. We are also seeing a reduction in recruitment within the industry, which is undergoing a transformation. There is a gradual shift of workers from industry—especially manufacturing and automotive—to the service sector and other more promising industries.
The new legislation may also have an influence, specifically the amendment regarding unemployment benefits in effect since the beginning of the year. The benefit now amounts to 80% of the salary in the first months (compared to the previous 65%). This may have motivated workers to postpone the termination of their employment and their registration with the labor office until January.
As at the end of January, employers offered a total of 86,431 vacancies through the Labour Office of the CR, which is 991 fewer than in December. The absolute largest number of job vacancies are repeatedly offered by employers in Prague (22,442 positions) and the Central Bohemian Region (12,681 positions). Currently, there are approximately 4.4 job seekers per vacancy in the Czech Republic on average, with the highest numbers in the districts of Karviná (19.9), Sokolov (17.5), Děčín (17.3), and Bruntál (14.5).
Out of the total number of registered job seekers, 195,128 were women, accounting for 51.5% of the total. The structure of applicants by education remains stable: the largest group consists of those with vocational training (36%), followed by applicants with primary education (30%), secondary education with a school-leaving exam (24%), and university graduates (10%).
According to the records of the Labour Office of the CR, employers are most frequently interested in construction laborers, truck and heavy goods vehicle drivers, forklift operators and warehouse workers, cooks, assembly workers, and cleaners.
In the 3rd quarter of 2025, the average gross nominal monthly salary* (hereinafter “average salary”) was CZK 48,295, which is CZK 3,194 (7.1%) higher than in the same period in 2024. Consumer prices increased by 2.5% during this period, and real wages increased by 4.5% as a result. The amount of salaries increased by 7.4%, and the number of employees grew by 0.3%. Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average salary grew by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter of 2025.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, the median salary (CZK 42,901) increased by 6.2%, which corresponds to CZK 45,502 for men and CZK 40,059 for women. Eighty percent of employees received salaries between CZK 22,559 and CZK 82,064.
source: MPSV, ČSÚ, ÚP ČR
* calculated to the number of employees in the national economy