Plzeň – the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the west of the country
As reported by the leadership of Plzeň and the Plzeň Region, factories in this region of the Czech Republic cannot function in the long term without attracting foreign labor resources. According to authorities' assumptions, the number of employed foreigners in the region has already exceeded 40,000. Currently, more EU citizens are working in the region than before the last economic crisis. For example, in March 2008, their number was 15,800.
According to Radio Prague, the number of foreigners from third countries, who need to obtain work permits to come to the Czech Republic, has also been increasing over the past six months.
Compared to December 2017, the number of workers from the European Union increased by more than 1,400. For several years, Slovaks have been leading in the number of arrivals for work from abroad – in January, there were 15,627 of them. Romanians took second place (9,648 people), and Bulgarians third (6,504 people).
The number of citizens from non-EU countries who are no longer burdened by the need to obtain work permits, as they have permanent residence in the Czech Republic or have a relative legally residing in the country, has also increased at local enterprises. By the end of January 2018, the number of such workers was 7,643, which is 1,615 more year-on-year. In most cases, these are Ukrainians (5,088 workers), followed by Vietnamese (1,071 people) and Moldovans (407 people).
Overall, the number of guest workers from third countries who found employment in the Plzeň Region after obtaining a work permit is 1,431. Among them, workers with a three-month work visa predominate.