Czechs hope to attract more Ukrainian citizens to work
According to the May statistics of the Labor Office, the Czech unemployment rate fell to 2.6%, the best result since 1997. There are 200,675 people looking for work, and 346,552 vacancies. As Radio Prague notes, the deficit is obvious.
"In terms of numbers, the highest demand among Czech firms is for workers of medium and low qualifications. As data from the Economic Chamber shows, in this case, workers from Ukraine and other third countries are most in demand. There are no people on the labor market," comments Karina Kubelikova, chief analyst at the Economic Chamber.
Last week, the Czech government doubled the annual quotas for receiving labor resources from Ukraine. If until now the number of new workers who could come to the Czech Republic for employment within one year was 19,600, now their number has been increased to 40,000 people.
At a government meeting, a proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to increase the number of applications accepted by the consulate of the Czech Republic in Lviv under a special regime for qualified labor resources from Ukraine was approved. Also adopted was a "Special procedure for Ukrainian workers in agriculture and food industry."
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic had already indicated in documents submitted to the government that the volume of work permits allocated under the "Project Ukraine" regime was insufficient, and the waiting time for submitting documents for a "work card" exceeded 80 days. That is why about 20% of Ukrainians refuse the intention to go to work in the Czech Republic. According to the Economic Chamber, the waiting time at the Czech consulate in Lviv is 105 days.
According to the Ministry of Labor, at the end of 2018, 121,086 Ukrainian citizens were employed in the Czech Republic, which is more than 20% of all foreigners working in the republic.
The largest number of employees plan to hire firms operating in the transport and logistics sector. According to the ManpowerGroup recruitment agency, 23% of companies in this segment announced an expansion of their staff, which is 21% more than a year earlier. Hotels, restaurants, and construction firms are also looking for new employees.
"The construction sector has been suffering from a shortage of hands for many years. The fact is that it is hard work in uncomfortable conditions, and not very well paid. That construction companies are looking for a large number of workers has only one positive index – the construction sector is reviving," says ManpowerGroup director Jaroslava Rezlerova.
The railway passenger carrier Arriva will begin additionally servicing several lines in the vicinity of Prague from December of this year. According to company spokesman Martin Fararzh, an active search for new employees will begin in the fall. "We will focus on finding drivers, mechanics, stewards, as well as managers," says the company representative. "In total, we need to recruit about 350 people."
The company Regiojet is in a similar situation. As company representative Ales Ondruj emphasizes, hundreds of jobs will be created by the railway company in the region of Ostrava, as well as in the South Moravian and Usti regions of the Czech Republic: "We need drivers, mechanics, and electromechanics, as well as deck personnel to replenish the train crews that already serve Regiojet passengers."