Employment and unemployment as measured by the LFS - 3rd quarter of 2019

Number of Persons Having at Least Two Jobs Is Higher Than the Number of the Unemployed

04.11.2019
Code: 250145-19
 

Total employment in Q3 2019 increased by 6.4 thousand persons, year-on-year (y-o-y) and reached 5 307.8 thousand persons. On the contrary, the number of the unemployed, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, dropped by 12.6 thousand persons, y-o-y. The general unemployment rate of the aged 15–64 years declined by 0.2 percentage point (p.p.), y-o-y, to attain 2.2%.
 

Employment

In Q3 2019 the seasonally adjusted average number of employed persons decreased by 3.6 thousand persons, compared to Q2 2019.

The decline in the pace of the growth rate of total employment has continued. The number of working persons increased solely by 6.4 thousand persons, i.e. by 0.1%, y-o-y, to reach 5 307.8 thousand persons. The number of employed males and the number of employed females grew by 4.1 thousand and 2.3 thousand, respectively.

Changes to the age structure of working persons are, first of all, affected by demographic factors, by prolonged time of preparations for future jobs, and by increased old-age retirement age. The number of working persons aged up to 40 years was reduced by 60.9 thousand persons yet the number of working persons aged 40+ years increased by 67.3 thousand persons. The strong generations born in the first half of 1970s have already been moving to the elder age group. This way the number of working persons aged 45–49 years grew by 46.9 thousand persons. Total employment in the age group 55–59 years also grew in a significant manner by 25.8 thousand persons and the number of working persons aged 65+ years increased by 6.9 thousand persons as well.

Employment by measured economic activity developed in different ways1). The number of working persons in the tertiary sector of services grew annually by 17.2 thousand persons, most in the economic activities section of in the ‘human health and social work activities’ and ‘transportation and storage’. According to preliminary results, the number of working persons increased in the section of ‘accommodation and food service activities’ as well. Employment in the secondary sector of industry and construction stagnated, y-o-y. The number of working persons in the primary sector declined by 10.7 thousand persons, y-o-y.

The decline in the increment of total employment is accompanied with a change to the structure of working persons by status in employment. The number of persons with the status of employee grew by 11.4 thousand persons, y-o-y, to reach 4 409.8 thousand persons. On the contrary, the total number of the self-employed, including family workers, saw a decline by 4.5 thousand persons, y-o-y, as a result of a drop in the number of the self-employed with employees.

The employment rate (percentage of working persons in the age group 15–64 years) grew by 0.2 p.p., compared to Q3 2018, to reach 75.3%. The male employment rate increased by 0.1 p.p. to reach 82.0%, and the female employment rate increased by 0.4 p.p. to attain 68.2%. The employment rate in the Czech Republic is one the highest within the whole European Union (EU28). Last year there were solely Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark that featured higher values of the average employment rate.

Yet the Czech Republic markedly differs from the aforementioned countries concerning full-time jobs. A vast majority of working persons in the Czech Republic work full time in their main job. In 2018 their share of 93.7% was the fifth highest in the EU28. On the contrary, in the Nordic countries, but also in our country neighbours of Germany and Austria this share was below 75% and belonged to the lowest ones. In the Netherlands even over one half of all working persons had their main job as a part time with a shorter work hours.

Differences in other jobs of the employed correspond to the differences in work hours in the main job. In 2018 there were 4% of all working persons having at least two jobs in the whole European Union. In the Czech Republic the share was significantly lower. For comparison purposes, in Sweden and the Netherlands the share was even over 8%.

The number of persons having at least two jobs in the Czech Republic reached 136.1 thousand persons, which is 2.6% of all working persons of the productive age of 15–64 years in Q3 2019. Majority of them have the status of employee in their main job. In the second job the number of the self-employed outnumbers that of employees. The highest numbers of persons with a second job can be found in the economic sections of ‘professional, scientific and technical activities’, ‘education’, ‘manufacturing’, and ‘wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’.
 

Unemployment

The seasonally adjusted average number of unemployed persons according to the ILO methodology2) increased by 8.4 thousand persons in Q3 2019, compared to that in Q2 2019.

The total number of the unemployed declined by 12.6 thousand persons, y-o-y, and reached 114.9 thousand persons. Both the number of the unemployed females dropped by 7.9 thousand persons to reach 63.2 thousand persons and the number of the unemployed males fell by 4.6 thousand persons to attain 51.7 thousand persons. At the same time, the number of persons unemployed for one year and longer declined by 5.7 thousand persons, y-o-y, and so the total number of them reached 30.7 thousand persons.

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) decreased by 0.2 p.p., compared to Q3 2018, and attained 2.2% in Q3 2019.
 

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 2019 the number of such persons was 98.0 thousand persons, i.e. by 12.4 thousand persons less than in the same period of 2018. Majority of persons willing to work, however, is not able to start in a potential job immediately. Actually, there are merely 32.4 thousand of the persons able to start in a job within a fortnight, at the latest.
 

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1) Data for the aforementioned economic activities sections may be affected by the applied methodology of the Labour Force Sample Survey. The survey covers merely persons living in private households. Data for persons living in collective accommodation establishments are not measured. These establishments, however, often give accommodation to aliens.

2) The ILO methodology defines the unemployed as all persons above a specified age who during the reference period were without a job, did not work an hour for pay, and were in an active manner seeking job they would be able to join within two weeks at the latest. 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 kept in the register of the labour offices” of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

 

Notes:
Responsible head at the CZSO: Dalibor Holý, Head of the Labour Market and Equal Opportunities Statistics Department, phone: +420 274052694, e-mail: dalibor.holy@czso.cz
Contact person: Marta Petráňová, Unit for Labour Forces, Migration and Equal Opportunities, phone: +420 274054357, e-mail: marta.petranova@czso.cz
Data source: 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 2019 and the prediction of the natural increase of population and net migration in the first three quarters of 2019.
End of data collection / End of preliminary data processing: 21 October 2019 / 25 October 2019
Related Internet-published document: 250128-19 - “Employment and Unemployment in the Czech Republic as Measured by the Labour Force Sample Survey – Quarterly Data” with the finalised survey results will be available on the CZSO website by the end of Q4 2019. (Home - We publish - Catalogue of Products - Employment and Unemployment)
Next News Release shall be published on: 3 February 2020

 

  •      azam110419.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)
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Published: 04.11.2019
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