Twice as many Ukrainians will be able to come to work in the Czech Republic
As noted by Radio Prague, Czech enterprises currently need about 320,000 additional workers, and many have already begun moving production to other countries in search of labor.
In addition to Ukraine, citizens of Serbia and Mongolia are interested in jobs in the Czech Republic. "Interest in labor resources from abroad is growing; last year employers submitted twice as many applications, and this year demand will be even higher," Miroslav Diro, spokesman for the Economic Chamber, told Hospodářské noviny.
Czech enterprises need specialists in fields such as metalworking, industrial plant operators, and drivers. Since the summer of 2016, the Czech Republic has had a program called "Regime Ukraine," introduced to speed up the process of settling formalities for Ukrainians interested in working at Czech enterprises.
The Economic Chamber and the Industrial Union assist Czech firms in this regard. This cooperation helps eliminate corruption, through which first places in the queue for submitting documents at the embassy were "obtained." Along with the visa, a Ukrainian citizen receives a work card, allowing them to work legally in the country for up to two years.
However, simultaneously with the desire of Czech companies to fill their labor shortage, the waiting time for document processing at the embassy is also increasing. Currently, it is about three months.
Increasing the annual quota for Ukrainians also means a need to significantly increase the number of civil servants handling document processing. Currently, a project has been presented to introduce 110 new positions at the Ministry of the Interior, another 7 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and 15 at the labor inspectorate.
This year, 96 million crowns were allocated from the budget for processing work permits; in 2020, these expenses will increase by another nine million. The state plans to cover these costs by doubling the visa fee for accepting documents for a work card, expecting to collect 102 million crowns in this way. Additional funds will come from taxes that enterprises will pay for their Ukrainian employees and the tax contributions of the workers themselves.
The introduction of new rules depends on whether an amendment to the law on foreigners will be adopted.