As Prague-Express.cz notes, the current quotas under the program for attracting Ukrainians, Režim Ukrajina, amount to 9,600 people per year. The decision of the Czech authorities will allow this number to be increased by another 10,000 people. Also, up to 1,000 people are planned to be attracted from Mongolia and the Philippines.
The Czech government has also approved the Režim Zemědělec program, under which up to 1,500 Ukrainians can be employed annually for seasonal agricultural work.
In connection with the government's decision, state expenditures on attracting foreign labor will increase by 50 million crowns.
Recall that the Czech labor market is experiencing a shortage of labor. As of today, the country lacks 14,000 representatives of construction professions and 9,500 drivers. In the spring of last year, these figures were 8,000 and 6,000, respectively. In addition, according to data from the Czech Labor Office, local enterprises lack thousands of cooks, cleaners, security guards, welders, and fitters.
A year ago, there were 135,000 vacancies in the Czech Republic; now the figure has reached 216,000. Moreover, according to experts, not all vacancies are officially registered.
Currently, the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic is 3.8%, with 280,000 people out of work. But finding employees for a number of vacancies is becoming increasingly difficult for local employers. That is why many Czech entrepreneurs and business representatives are betting on attracting labor from abroad.