Foreigners make up a fifth of Czechia's workforce — and nearly all of them are employed

The Czech National Bank has published a new analysis of the share of foreigners in the country's labour market. According to the CNB, more than one million foreigners now work in Czechia, accounting for 22% of the country's entire workforce. The study's authors argue that without them, the Czech labour market would simply cease to function.

According to the Czech Statistical Office, almost 86% of foreigners are so-called economic residents — people who work in Czechia long-term and also spend their earnings here. "This is an excellent result: 85% of foreigners here work and pay taxes. 80% of them are of working age, and another 5% are economically active pensioners," explains Roman Stoyanov, an international migration expert at the Spatial Hub research group.

According to him, these figures clearly debunk the myth that foreigners come to Czechia for social benefits. "The data shows plainly how beneficial this is for us. In effect, foreigners' contributions compensate for the shortfalls in our health and social insurance systems," says Stoyanov, noting that migrants are predominantly young people who barely use the healthcare system. Moreover, he believes it is thanks to foreigners that the pension system is still holding up: they pay contributions but either never draw a pension themselves or receive only a minimal one.

"Taking jobs away" — a myth

According to the CNB's analysis, foreign workers are especially vital in accommodation, food service and hospitality, and are also prominent in construction. They are least represented in public administration, education and healthcare. "The myth that foreigners are taking our jobs is simply not true. They mainly go where local workers don't want to go," Stoyanov stresses.

This often means poorly paid jobs or so-called "4D" work — dirty, dangerous, physically demanding or socially unprestigious. Besides their willingness to take on any job, migrants offer employers another key advantage — flexibility. "If someone needs a worker to stay for a 16-hour shift, a foreigner will agree. Their families are far away, they're here alone and want to earn as much as possible to send money home to their children," the expert explains.

Brain waste and the language barrier

Why don't even highly qualified foreigners land the best jobs? Matěj Šulc, director of the Organization for Aid to Refugees, points to bureaucratic and status uncertainty as the cause. A typical example is refugees from Ukraine, to whom the state grants temporary protection for a maximum of one year (currently extended until next March). "Employers understandably prefer people who have a guarantee of longer legal residence," says Šulc.

Ordinary foreign workers outside the temporary protection scheme face even greater pressure: if someone loses their job and remains unemployed for more than 60–90 days, they lose their residence permit and risk deportation. On top of that comes another obstacle — the reluctance of Czech authorities to recognise foreign diplomas. "Recognition of foreign qualifications remains a major problem here. Doctors and teachers by profession often end up working in genuinely low-skilled jobs," notes Stoyanov, calling this phenomenon "brain waste."

This hits healthcare and social care particularly hard, sectors that themselves suffer from staff shortages. Lenka Kohoutová, director of the Sulická care home, adds that the main barrier here is a lack of Czech language skills — caring for the elderly starts with a simple "Hello, how are you feeling?"

Gastronomy runs on foreigners

In accommodation, food service and catering, foreigners play a decisive role: at the end of last year they made up 51.3% of the sector's entire workforce. "Gastronomy is inherently international and requires almost no qualifications. Staff outside the kitchen often just need to be hardworking and able to smile," says Luboš Kastner, board member of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, adding that the sector faces an acute staff shortage.

A separate statistical issue concerns agency employment. At the end of last year, the "administrative and support activities" category listed more than 189,000 foreign workers — the largest increase of any sector: their number has grown by nearly 65,000 since 2021. In reality, these people work in manufacturing, logistics or construction, but official statistics don't reflect this. According to Šulc, agencies often exploit foreigners' vulnerability — their unfamiliarity with the system and language barrier — pressuring them into signing incomprehensible Czech-language contracts or underpaying promised wages.

Money home and a cold welcome

The labour market is shifting geographically: the number of workers from outside the EU is growing sharply. The Philippines holds the absolute record, with the number of workers up 422% since late 2021. Numbers are also rising noticeably from India, Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Mongolia and Moldova. Meanwhile, traditional sources of labour — Poland, Romania, Bulgaria — show the opposite trend: wages there are approaching Czech levels, making it less worthwhile to come to Czechia.

The volume of remittances foreigners send home is also growing. In 2025, according to the Czech Statistical Office, the largest sum went to Ukraine — CZK 17.1 billion, followed by Slovakia with CZK 14 billion. However, the expert considers fears of capital outflow to be exaggerated: two billion euros a year is negligible compared to the tens of billions of euros that leave the country annually as dividends paid to multinational corporations. Meanwhile, Czechia receives around CZK 60–65 billion in remittances each year — making the country a net recipient of funds.

Despite the clear economic benefits, society is growing increasingly tired of the migration topic. According to Stoyanov, the cooling of the initial enthusiasm for helping refugees is a natural process, but the problem is that Czech society has not built resilience against those who question humanitarian and social initiatives. He warns that politicians building campaigns on hostility toward Ukrainians and migrants risk repeating the scenario seen in neighbouring Poland, where rising tensions have already led to acts of violence.

Read also: Free Czech courses for foreigners: where to learn

Source: seznamzpravy.cz