The lack of qualified employees causes billions in damages to businesses and the state

The lack of skilled workers causes huge damage to the economy, as companies have to turn down jobs and less money flows into the coffers of taxes and levies. At the same time, the problem with the lack of employees is more serious than official state statistics show.

More than 3/5 of businesses do not look for employees through the Labor Office

More than three-fifths of companies usually look for new employees in a different way than through branches of the Labor Office of the Czech Republic. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs does not systematically monitor the number of vacancies advertised in alternative ways – e.g. via job portals, social networks or agencies.

Only 7 % of employers fully rely on the Labor Office of the Czech Republic when looking for employees, for whom the Labor Office of the Czech Republic is the primary intermediary for finding employees.

Weak cohorts enter the labor market

One of the main reasons why companies are not getting qualified employees is demographics - younger generations are entering the labor market, and at the same time the number of people going into regular and early retirement is growing rapidly.

"For that reason, it is clear that the situation will not improve that quickly. A temporary solution is the employment of foreigners through government programs. But the problem is that in view of the current situation, the government has suspended the receipt of applications from companies for qualified employees from Ukraine, and the quotas for other countries are insufficient."

Because of the current quotas, it will be very difficult to fill jobs associated with physical load, qualifications and experience in some branches of industry. For the Philippines, the annual quota is set at 2,300 applications, India 600 applications, Kazakhstan 500 applications, Moldova 1,500 applications, Mongolia 1,000 applications, Serbia and Montenegro 1,900 applications, Armenia 550 applications and North Macedonia 400 applications per year.

The Chamber of Commerce seeks to increase quotas

The Chamber of Commerce therefore strives for the government to increase quotas especially for Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and India, where the processing of companies’ requests in some cases currently takes almost a year. However, such a time is unacceptable both for the person interested in working in the Czech Republic and for the employer.

The Chamber of Commerce is a unified central place for collecting, checking and classifying employers’ applications into the government’s Qualified Employee Program (9 countries including Ukraine). It handles more than 80 % of all requests from companies in the country. It does not provide an agenda associated with short-term visas or agency employment.

Through these government programs, a foreigner becomes a regular employee, which means that he has the same wages and working conditions as any Czech employee. He starts work only if a Czech citizen or a foreigner from the EU does not show interest in the position.

The employee card is valid for two years. The residence permit is related to employment. If a foreigner does not have a job, he is not allowed to stay in the Czech Republic. Only qualified employees can come to the Czech Republic, i.e. that this program does not allow companies to employ unqualified foreigners.

The most frequently requested professions come from construction, storage, transport, catering and manufacturing.