Employment and unemployment as measured by the LFS - 1. quarter of 2022

The number of employers decreased

04.05.2022
Code: 250145-22
 

As a result of application of new demographic weights after the 2021 Census, absolute numbers of the employed, of the unemployed, as well as of the economically inactive decreased, year-on-year (y-o-y). Due to an influence of this change in demographic data, the total employment in the Q1 2022 decreased to 5 140.7 thousand persons, y-o-y. The number of the unemployed, according to the methodology of the International Labour Organization (ILO), decreased to 130.3 thousand persons. The number of the economically inactive aged 15+ years decreased to 3 552.3 thousand.
 

Employment

In the Q1 2022, the seasonally adjusted average number of employed persons decreased by 76.2 thousand persons, compared to the Q4 2021.

The number of working persons aged 15+ years is by 24.9 thousand persons lower, y-o-y, i.e. it dropped by 0.5% to 5 140.7 thousand persons. The decrease is mainly caused by a decline in the number of working males. Their number is by 18.6 thousand lower, y-o-y. The number of working persons aged 25 to 44 years decreased a lot, by 120.0 thousand; however, the number of young working persons up to 24 years increased by 20.3 thousand, of which 13.5 thousand were females. The number of working persons aged 45–64 years also significantly increased, by 68.7 thousand.

The total number of the self-employed decreased by 23.2 thousand persons, which is due to a decrease in the number of the self-employed with employees (employers). The number of the self-employed without employees (own-account workers) remained unchanged. The number of employees and the number of contributing family workers also remained almost unchanged.

According to preliminary data for the Q1 2022, the development of employment in individual economic activities (CZ-NACE sections) in the Czech Republic was different1). The employment decreased in the secondary sector of industry and construction by 40.8 thousand to 1 880.0 thousand, mainly due to a decrease in the number of working persons in manufacturing by 28.5 thousand. In the tertiary sector of services, the total employment increased by 21.7 thousand to 3 130.2 thousand. In this sector, the number of working persons especially increased in the section of ‘transportation and storage’ by 15.6 thousand, ‘accommodation and food service activities’ by 12.7 thousand, and ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’ by 8.3 thousand. On the other hand, the employment in the sector of services decreased in the section of health by 7.4 thousand as well as in ‘information and communication’ by 6.5 thousand, where there was a higher base a year ago as a consequence of the pandemic situation. Along with a gradual decrease of the primary sector of agriculture, forestry and fishing during the last three decades, the number of working persons in this sector also decreased in the Q1 2022, by 6.0 thousand, year-on-year, to 130.3 thousand.  

According to the Classification of Occupations (CZ-ISCO), the number of working persons increased the most in the major group of service and sales workers (by 24.0 thousand) and in the major group of managers (by 19.5 thousand). On the other hand, the number of the following decreased: technicians and associate professionals (by 34.9 thousand), clerical support workers (by 24.4 thousand), and craft and related trades workers (by 13.3 thousand).  

The development trend in the number of working persons according to the educational attainment is also related to those changes in the employment structure. The number of working persons with tertiary education increased by 15.2 thousand. In both the most numerous groups of persons with secondary education, the development of the number of employed persons was contradictory. The number of the employed with secondary education with A-level examination decreased by 35.4 thousand, whereas the number of working persons with secondary education without A-level examination increased by 4.9 thousand. The number of working persons with primary education decreased by 10.3 thousand.

The employment rate (the percentage of working persons in the age group of 15–64 years old) increased in the Q1 2022 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year by 1.4 percentage point (p. p.) to 75.0%. The male employment rate increased by 1.3 p. p. to 81.9% and the female employment rate by 1.5 p. p. to 67.8%.
 

Unemployment

The seasonally adjusted average number of unemployed persons according to the ILO methodology2) increased in the Q1 2022 by 5.4 thousand persons, compared to that in the Q4 2021.

The total number of the unemployed aged 15+ years is by 49.0 thousand lower, y-o-y, and reached 130.3 thousand persons. Primarily the number of the unemployed females decreased by 27.7 thousand to 70.5 thousand, whereas the decrease in the number of the unemployed males was slightly lower (by 21.3 thousand to 59.8 thousand). The number of the unemployed decreased the most in the Středočeský Region (by 15.4 thousand) and in the Hl. m. Praha Region (by 8.0 thousand). The number of persons unemployed for one year and longer decreased by 41.8 thousand persons, y-o-y, and reached 97.7 thousand persons.

The general unemployment rate according to the ILO definition in the age group of 15–64 years old (the percentage of the unemployed in the labour force, i.e. in the sum of the employed and the unemployed) decreased by 0.9 p. p. to 2.5% in the Q1 2022, year-on-year.

In terms of a regional comparison, the general unemployment rate of the 15–64 years old was the highest in the Moravskoslezský Region (4.6%), in the Karlovarský Region (4.4%), and in the Olomoucký Region (3.7%). The biggest decrease in the unemployment rate was in the Karlovarský Region (by 4.2 p. p to 4.4%), in the Středočeský Region (by 2.2 p. p to 1.3%), and in the Ústecký Region (by 2.0 p. p to 2.8%). The Středočeský Region had the lowest unemployment rate in Czechia (1.3%).
 

Economic inactivity

The number of economically inactive persons aged 15+ years is by 84.9 thousand lower, year-on-year, and amounted to 3 552.3 thousand. The number of economically inactive females decreased by 47.5 thousand; the number of economically inactive males dropped by 37.4 thousand. The number of all the economically inactive including children up to 15 years of age decreased by 111.2 thousand to 5 245.7 thousand. 

In the sample survey, data are also collected on persons who do not work and do not seek a job in an active manner and therefore do not comply with the ILO conditions for the unemployed, yet they state that they would like to work. In the Q1 2022, the number of such persons was 67.0 thousand persons, i.e. by 41.0 thousand persons less than in the corresponding period of 2021. The number of persons who are willing to work, however, they are not able to start in a potential job immediately, is relatively high. Only 15.9 thousand of the persons are able to start in a job within a fortnight, at the latest.
 

Recalculation to the same population structure

The LFSS is a sample survey among households, which is weighted and grossed up to data of demographic statistics. These demographic weights have changed for the Q1 2022 compared to the previous year, because refinement of data on the number of the population of the Czech Republic based on the 2021 Population and Housing Census results was reflected. In order to be able to depict real trends in main indicators and development on the labour market between the years 2021 and 2022 without that change, recalculations of last year’s data using this year’s weights were also made, i.e. to the same population structure. In total, the number of the employed increased by 115.7 thousand, year-on-year, the number of the unemployed decreased by 43.7 thousand, and the number of economically inactive persons aged 15+ years decreased by 72.0 thousand, y-o-y. Relative indicators (rates) are not influenced by a change in the population size.    

 

____________________


1) Data for the aforementioned economic activities sections may be influenced by the applied methodology of the Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS). The survey only covers persons living in dwellings (flats), i.e. private households. Data for persons living in collective accommodation establishments are not measured; these establishments often give accommodation to foreign nationals.
2) The ILO methodology defines the unemployed as persons who during the reference period were without a job, did not work an hour for pay or remuneration, and were in an active manner seeking job they would be able to join within fortnight at the latest. This methodology is uniform for all EU Member States and provides internationally comparable data. It has to be taken into consideration that the definition of “the unemployed” by the ILO differs from the definition of “job applicants kept in the register of the labour offices” of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
 

Notes:

Responsible head at the CZSO: Dalibor Holý, Director of the Labour Market and Equal Opportunities Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 274 052 694, e-mail: dalibor.holy@czso.cz
Contact person: Marta Petráňová, Unit for Labour Forces, Migration, and Equal Opportunities, phone number: (+420) 274 054 357, e-mail: marta.petranova@czso.cz
Data source: The CZSO, Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS) conducted in selected private households. Collective accommodation establishments are not included in the survey. The LFSS results have been grossed up to the total population of the Czech Republic using data of the population statistics as at 1 January 2022 and the prediction of the natural population change and net migration in 2022.
End of data collection: 21 April 2022
End of preliminary data processing: 26 April 2022
Related Internet-published document: 250129-22 - “Employment and Unemployment in the Czech Republic as Measured by the Labour Force Sample Survey – quarterly data” with the final survey results will be available on the CZSO website by the end of the Q2 2022. (Home - We publish - Catalogue of Products - Employment and Unemployment)
Next News Release will be published on: 3 August 2022

  •      azam050422.docx

  • Annexes:
  • Table 1 Employed persons (status in the main job, absolute numbers, percentages, year-on-year increments, and indices)
  • Chart 1 The employed and the unemployed (absolute numbers)
Archive:
Show all Hide

Published: 04.05.2022
The data are valid as of the release date of the publication.


Contact: Information Services Unit - Headquarters, tel.: +420 274 056 789, email: infoservis@czso.cz