In a recent report by the Czech Labour Office, job vacancies surged to 284,525 in March, nearly matching the number of job seekers at 273,478. Despite this apparent balance, Czech companies face labor shortages across sectors, leading to increased demand for skilled and blue-collar workers, according to EURES insights. The European Job Mobility Portal underscores a persistent need for new hires, especially skilled artisans, with 71.6% of vacancies open to candidates with primary or lower education. Surprisingly, 70.9% of these positions are considered suitable for foreign workers.
The most sought-after professions span construction, manufacturing, transportation, culinary arts, and general services, with top occupations including building construction workers, forklift operators, warehouse workers, assembly workers, CNC machine operators, truck drivers, cooks, bricklayers, masons and tilers, and cleaners.
Prague leads in job vacancies with 78,112 openings, followed by Central Bohemia with 58,300. The capital city exhibits a growing demand for mining, construction, manufacturing, and transportation workers. However, EURES notes that individuals with lower qualifications, notably lacking a high school diploma or having only primary education, face a higher likelihood of unemployment.
Non-EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens require a mandatory visa and work permit for employment in Czechia, even for short-term positions. Czechia provides three types of work permits: the Employee Card, the Blue Card, and the Intra-Company Transferee Card.
With a minimum wage of approximately €720 per month, Czechia falls into Eurostat’s Group 3 for countries with a minimum wage below €1000. Numbeo ranks the country as the 25th most affordable in Europe regarding living costs. To address persistent labor shortages, the Czech government launched a migration program targeting Indonesian polytechnic students in August. The initiative aims to bring around 300 students to work in Czechia for two years, offering a strategic solution to the scarcity of skilled workers in critical sectors.
