Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: The Czech labour market will return to stagnation in Q4

The Czech labour market will return to stagnation in Q4 from a mild growth and 3 percent of employers plan to dismiss and take on staff in the country in the last quarter, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

For the third quarter, the amount of firms planning to hire people was slightly higher than the share of employers intending to shed jobs.

A total of 91 percent of firms are expecting no changes in staff numbers, said the survey conducted among around 750 Czech businesses.

The employment index for the last quarter of the year is zero, while in the previous three months it had the value of plus two. Five percent of firms planned to raise staff numbers, 3 percent planned to cut them.

"Unemployment started to grow this summer despite that the summer season is usually a period of rising demand for new employees from firms in construction and agriculture and those providing catering and accommodation services," Manpower CR and Slovakia CEO Jaroslava Rezlerova told journalists today.

"With the continuing recession, the labour market situation will be stagnating, firms will be cautious in taking on staff and will continue implementing measures to cut costs and raise efficiency," Rezlerova said.

Production and distribution of electricity, gas and water registers the index of minus 11, which means it is a segment with the worst conditions on the labour market.

Transportation, storage and communications industry also shows a slowing recruitment activity, with the minus five index, and the index in catering and accommodation has the value of minus four.

Mineral mining has the highest index of plus four.

"The outlook does not seem likely to reflect reports about dismissals in (black coal mining company) OKD," Rezlerova pointed out.

Employers based in the capital of Prague expect a modest rise of staff numbers for Q4, the value of the index at plus four. Employers elsewhere in the Czech Republic report stable environment, with the index's value at zero. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is expecting a mild deterioration, with the minus two index.