All citizens in the Czech Republic have the right to choose their profession freely. If the employee has lost his/her job or has no job for other reasons and is seeking one, he/she is entitled, when unemployed, to job mediation, re-training necessary for future employment and to unemployment relief (under Section 1(5) of Act no. 1/1991 Coll., on Employment).

Foreign nationals interested in working in the Czech Republic enjoy the same position as Czech citizens (i.e. the same rights – see above) if they hold a permanent residence permit or if they are EU citizens or have been granted asylum, or if they enjoy the same position under an international treaty (e.g. citizens of Slovakia). Other foreign nationals must hold a work permit and residence permit (see: "Working in the Czech Republic"), with the job centres providing these foreign nationals with information and advisory services only.

Jobs for unemployed Czech citizens (and foreign nationals enjoying the same position as Czech citizens) are procured by Czech Labour Offices (see related link) competent at the place of the citizens' or foreign nationals' permanent (or reported) residence. Information on vacancies and advisory services are provided by any Labour Office.

Commercial agencies may mediate employment for any person, if they hold a license issued by the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

A citizen (or a foreign national enjoying the same position as a Czech citizen) not being employed or similarly engaged for work and not being a self-employer and not being a student (and meeting other conditions – see below) will be registered with the job seekers registry based on a written application. Blank application form may be obtained at the local Labour Office. The job seeker may fill in the data either him/herself or with the help of a labour officer.

The citizen (or a foreign national enjoying the same position as a Czech citizen) applying for mediation of employment must attach a certificate verifying his/her identity, citizenship and permanent residence to the application. In addition, he/she must present a proof of termination of his/her employment, self-employment or studies, documents on his/her professional skills (school-leaving exam, traineeship certificate, diploma etc.); persons taking care of minors must in addition present the birth certificates of their children, persons with disabilities must present a medical report or a decision on a changed working capacity or a decision on disability pension.

Once the job seeker is registered with the job seekers registry, the state pays his/her health insurance and social security premiums, until he/she is deleted from the registry.

Labour Offices mediate employment in the entire Czech Republic. If bound by international treaties to do so, the Labour Offices mediate employment abroad or mediate employment for foreign nationals in the Czech Republic (under Section 4(3) of Act on Employment).

Foreign nationals with a residence visa for over 90 days (for the purpose of employment or business) or a long-term residence permit may not be registered with the job seekers registry (unless they are citizens of a state being a party to a bilateral treaty on employment signed by the Czech Republic). They may seek employment via the Internet or address any private agency (see the Address Book).

Job seekers registered with the job seekers registry are entitled to be mediated a suitable employment, i.e. employment corresponding to their health, age, professional skills and capabilities, previous work experience and accommodation opportunities (under Section 1(4) of Act on Employment).

The job seeker must provide the Labour Office with the necessary co-ordination when invited (i.e. by attending a meeting at the Labour Office as arranged, for instance). The job seeker must notify the Labour Office of all changes in facts decisive for the registry of job-seekers (e.g. if he/she finds a job him/herself) within seven calendar days.

The job seeker may be deleted from the register if he rejects a suitable job (offered by the Labour Office and fitting his/her qualification or skills) without a reason or if he/she intentionally hinders co-ordination with the Labour Office in its efforts to mediate employment; in such a case, the job seeker may be registered with the registry after three months(under Section 7(3) of Act on Employment).

A job seeker registered with a Czech Labour Office who has not been provided with suitable job or re-qualification programme (see below) for a new suitable job within seven calendar days after he/she has filed the application, is entitled to unemployment relief).

Unemployment relief is provided to job seekers who meet the condition of the aggregate duration of previous employment of at least 12 months in the last three years prior to the job application has been filed. Previous employment shall be deemed to include self-employment, provided that the applicant was a registered pension insurance payer while self-employed (under Section 12, 13 and 17 of Act on Employment).

For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, duration of employment includes the duration of:

1. studies in the Czech Republic,
2. preparations by a citizen with limited working capacity for a job (in the Czech Republic),
3. (substitute) military service in the Czech armed forced,
4. civil service in the Czech Republic,
5. personal care of a child aged under three or a child with long-term disability aged under 18 in need of intensive care,
6. personal care of a partially or fully powerless relative or a partially powerless person older than 80,
7. period of full disability pension (from the Czech pension insurance),
8. long-term voluntary service (abroad – this applies to permanent residents only) exceeding 20 hours in a calendar week under an agreement concluded with the sending organisation accredited by the Czech Ministry of Interior,

However, the listed periods are not included in the duration of employment, if they collide with previous employments. If the listed periods collide, they are included only once (under Section 13 of Act on Employment).

1. is eligible for old age or full disability pension (from Czech insurance);
2. is eligible to sickness benefits compensating the lost wage (income);
3. is on (substitute) military service, civil service, arrested or imprisoned in the Czech Republic;
4. refuses to accept a job or re-qualification programme without a serious or family-related reason, or does not fulfil the material obligations within re-qualification;
5. intentionally hinders the efforts of the Labour Office in finding a suitable job;
6. has repeatedly terminated his/her employment in the past six months without serious reasons, or if his/her employment has been terminated for unsatisfactory results or for a breach of employment-related obligations;
7. resides abroad for more than 30 calendar days (under Section 14 of Act on Employment).

Unemployment relief benefits are not paid abroad! (Section 14(3) of Act on Employment)

The job seeker is entitled to unemployment relief benefits for no more than six months (if the job seeker attends a re-qualification programme, the benefits will be paid until the end of the programme).

The amount of unemployment benefits is calculated on the basis of average net income generated by the job seeker in his/her last employment; the benefits amount to 50% of this income in the first three months and to 40% of this income in the remaining period. The unemployment benefits payable to job seekers attending re-qualification programmes amount to 60% of the average monthly income generated in the last employment.

For persons who were self-employed before applying for mediation of employment, the unemployment benefits are calculated on the basis of the last assessment basis for pension insurance premiums and for the contributions to the state unemployment policy (Section 17(5) of Act on Employment).

Job seekers having carried out the activities listed in Section 13 immediately before being registered with the job-seekers register (see the above-mentioned Section 13) and unable to document the average monthly net income will be paid unemployment benefits amounting to 50% of the subsistence minimum for the first three months and to 40% of the subsistence minimum valid for citizens older than 26 years of age as per the day the job seeker becomes entitled to unemployment relief, for the remaining period (see related link ”Subsistence Minimum”) (under Section 17 of Act on Employment).

For the purposes of unemployment relief, re-qualification means a change in the job seeker’s current qualification by means of acquiring new knowledge and skills through theoretical or practical work, allowing the job seeker to find a suitable job. Re-qualification is also convenient for job seekers that have not acquired any qualification at all.

The applicant has no direct title to re-qualification. In deciding whether the applicant is to take part in a re-qualification course, the Labour Office shall evaluate whether the re-qualification is necessary for his/her further employment.

The job seeker is re-qualified under a written agreement with the Labour Office that has offered the re-qualification programme. The agreement will specify the contents of the re-qualification, the method and time of re-qualification and the unemployment benefits eligibility conditions during the re-qualification (Section 10(2) of Act on Employment).

The information on re-qualification programmes on offer is available at the web pages of Czech Labour Offices (see related links). For more information, address a Czech Labour Office.