In July, the number of job seekers increased by 14 036 to a total of 329,501, and the unemployment rate increased to 4.4%. That is 46,490 more when compared to the same period of 2024.
The number of unemployed people increased in a total of 72 districts. Among the districts, unemployment was highest in the districts of Most (9.6 %), Karviná (9.3%), Chomutov (7.6%), Bruntál (7.3%), Sokolov and Ostrava (both 7.1%) and lowest, i.e. below 3%, in the districts of Prague-East and Prague-West, but also in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Pelhřimov and Benešov.
The July unemployment rate surprisingly increased, despite the influence of seasonal work. The main reason is the traditional summer slowdown in hiring—companies significantly reduce their recruitment activities due to holidays and postpone the start dates of new employees until September. Meanwhile, people who have left their previous jobs remain registered at labor offices until they actually start at a new place, which is usually in the autumn. Another factor is the arrival of school graduates who have not yet started working actively, thus increasing the number of unemployed in the system.
Demand for manual workers—so-called blue-collar workers—has grown significantly. These workers are still in high demand on the labor market and find employment without major difficulties.
The situation for office professions is more complex. Although there are enough job seekers among the so-called white-collar workers, companies face a shortage of candidates with specific technical skills. In these fields, recruitment remains difficult. AI in the workplace is increasingly helping employees, but jobs have not yet disappeared due to its implementation.
Regarding the future outlook, we remain cautious. The developments in the German market, which continues to stagnate, could have an adverse effect on the domestic economy. Geopolitical influences, such as the introduction of tariffs by the USA, will also play a role. Rising prices of emission allowances for certain types of goods could, in turn, affect the financial situation of households, which may result in employee turnover. According to our REBR survey, the main reason for changing jobs is insufficient compensation.
As at the end of July 2025, the Czech Labour Office registered a total of 95, 553 vacancies. That is 3,124 less than in the previous month. On average, there were 3.4 applicants per vacancy, with the highest number of applicants in the districts of Karviná (24.4), Sokolov (16.5), Děčín (13.8), Hodonín (12.2), Louny (9.5) or Bruntál (9.2).
Employers are most often interested in construction workers, cooks, truck and tractor drivers, forklift operators and warehouse workers, assembly workers, and cleaners, according to the records of the Czech Labor Office.
In the 1st quarter of 2025, the average gross nominal monthly salary* (hereinafter “average salary”) was CZK 46,924, which is CZK 2,943 (6.7%) higher than in the same period in 2024. Consumer prices increased by 2.7% during this period, and real wages increased by 3.9% as a result. The amount of salaries increased by 7.1%, and the number of employees grew by 0.4%. Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average salary grew by 1.7% during the 1st quarter of 2025.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, the median salary (CZK 38,385) increased by 5.3%, which corresponds to CZK 41,677 for men and CZK 35,226 for women. Eighty percent of employees received salaries between CZK 21,136 and CZK 73,611.
source: MPSV, ČSÚ, ÚP ČR
* calculated to the number of employees in the national economy