Employment and unemployment as measured by the LFS - 3rd quarter of 2013

Highest level of economic activity rate in history

The total employment in Q3 2013 increased by 33.1 thousand persons compared to the same period of 2012; the employment rate of the aged 15-64 years reached 68.0% and grew by 1.0 percentage point (p.p.), year-on-year (y-o-y). The number of the unemployed according to the ILO methodology grew by 1.6 thousand persons, y-o-y; the number of the long-term unemployed increased by 3.0 thousand persons. The general unemployment rate of the aged 15-64 years remained unchanged year-on-year and was 7.0%.

Employment
In Q3 2013 the seasonally adjusted average number of employed persons decreased by 8.8 thousand persons, compared to Q2 2013.

The number of employed persons increased by 33.1 thousand (i.e. by 0.7%), y-o-y, to 4 953.6 thousand while the increase was contributed by persons in the position of employees. The number of the self-employed in the main job, including family workers, in total fell by 4.5 thousand to 889.4 thousand persons compared to Q3 2012 and their share decreased to 18.0%. Compared to Q3 2012, the number of the employees, including members of producer cooperatives, grew by 37.5 thousand to 4 064.2 thousand and their share was 82.0% of the total employment.

The growth in the total employment was demonstrated mostly in the tertiary sector of services. In Q3 2013 the number of the employed in the secondary sector dropped by 22.0 thousand (it was 1 857.8 thousand persons in total) and the tertiary sector, conversely, saw an increase by 59.1 thousand persons (it was 2 946.0 thousand persons in total), year-on-year, and the number of persons working in the primary sector decreased by 4.1 thousand persons (it was 149.5 thousand persons in total).

The employment rate (percentage of the employed in the age group 15-64 years) reached 68.0% (the highest level since Q1 1998) and grew by 1.0 p.p. compared to Q3 2012. The male employment rate increased by 0.8 p.p. to 76.1% and the female employment rate grew by 1.2 p.p. to 59.8%.

The increase in the employment rate has been still significant when compared year-on-year yet if compared quarter-on-quarter and seasonally adjusted a slight drop can be seen.

Unemployment
The seasonally adjusted average number of unemployed persons according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology ¹⁾ decreased by 0.6 thousand persons in comparison to Q2 2013.

The number of unemployed persons reached 369.6 thousand (of which 197.1 thousand females) and the total number of the unemployed negligibly grew by 1.6 thousand persons, year-on-year. The growth in unemployment was manifested in the female population (by 3.7 thousand persons); in the male population, on the contrary, unemployment slightly decreased (by 2.1 thousand persons).

The increment of the number of persons unemployed for one year and longer was 3.0 thousand and the total number of them reached 161.5 thousand persons. The share of the long-term unemployed in the total number of unemployed persons attained 43.7%.

The general unemployment rate according to the ILO definition in the age group 15-64 years (the share of the unemployed in the labour force, i.e. the sum of the employed and the unemployed) attained 7.0% in Q3 2013, similarly as in Q 3 2012. If broken down by educational attainment, university graduates permanently show a low unemployment rate (3.2%) and the same can be seen for the persons having secondary education with A-level examination (5.7%). A high unemployment rate pertains in the group of persons with basic education (23.9%), and an above average unemployment rate stays also in the large group of those having secondary education without A-level examination, including persons with apprenticeship certificates (8.0%).

Similarly as in the previous quarters, economic activities of the Czech Republic population have been still growing while the level of the economic activity rate of persons aged 15-64 years (ratio of the employed and the unemployed in this age group) reached the historically highest value (73.2%). The LFSS results have been released in a comparable form since 1993.

Inactivity
In the sample survey, data are collected also on persons, who do not work and do not seek a job in an active manner, and thus do not comply with the ILO conditions for the unemployed, yet they state they would like to be working. In Q3 2013 the number of such persons was 138.8 thousand, i.e. by 28.1 thousand lower than in the same period of 2012. Majority of persons willing to work, however, is not able to start in a potential job immediately. There are 65.4 thousand persons able to start in a job within a fortnight, at the latest.
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¹⁾ The ILO methodology defines the unemployed as all persons above a specified age who during the reference period were: - without work, that is, were not in paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; - currently available for work, that is, were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and - seeking work, that is, had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. The specific steps may include registration at a public or private employment exchange; application to employers; checking at worksites, farms, factory gates, market or other assembly places; placing or answering newspaper advertisements; seeking assistance of friends or relatives; looking for land, building, machinery or equipment to establish own enterprise; arranging for financial resources; applying for permits and licences, etc. This methodology is uniform for all EU Member States and produces internationally comparable data. It should be noted that the definition of “the unemployed” by the ILO differs from the definition of “job applicants” registered by the labour offices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the CR.

Analysis - Women work shifts as frequent as men


Notes:
Responsible head at the CZSO: Dalibor Holý, phone: +4 20 274052694, e-mail: dalibor.holy@czso.cz
Contact person: Ondřej Nývlt, phone: +420 274054069, e-mail: ondrej.nyvlt@czso.cz
Authors of the analysis: Bohuslav Mejstřík, Marta Petráňová
Data source: CZSO, Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS) conducted in selected dwelling 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 2013 and the prediction of the population development in the first three quarters of 2013. The results grossed up to the total population of the Czech Republic are based on results of the 2011 Population and Housing Census.
End of data collection / End of preliminary data processing: 17 October 2013 / 22 October 2013
Related Internet-published document: e-3101-13 - “Employment and Unemployment in the Czech Republic as Measured by the Labour Force Sample Survey” ( /csu/czso/katalog-produktu ) with the finalised survey results will be available on the CZSO website by the end of Q4 2013.
Next News Release shall be published on: 3 February 2014

Published: 04.11.2013
The data are valid as of the release date of the publication.