Long-term unemployment rises in Czechia despite a stable overall job market
Czechia now has nearly 130,000 people unemployed for over a year, a 17% increase from the previous year, even as the overall unemployment rate stays at 5%.
According to recent Czech labour-market data, almost 130,000 people have been seeking work for more than a year, marking a 17% rise from the same period in 2025, while the headline unemployment rate has remained at 5% for two months. The surge is driven by younger applicants, low-educated individuals and residents of districts such as Karviná and Sokolov where job openings are scarce. Educational disparities are stark: about 29% of the long-term unemployed hold only primary education, compared with just 8.4% who have a master’s degree or higher.
Youth without secondary schooling face unemployment rates near 25%, well above the EU average. Employers report shortages in technical and manual trades, yet many vacancies require skills that registered seekers lack, leading to a persistent mismatch. Older job seekers, many over 50, also encounter barriers like health limits and outdated qualifications, making re-entry into the workforce increasingly difficult.
