Foreign worker numbers fell 7 percent since pandemic

The number of foreign workers in the Czech Republic fell 42,400 between March and June, a drop of 7 percent, according to data from the country's labor offices. In all, Czech firms and institutions employed 602,500 foreigners. That's considerably less than the peak of the foreign worker wave, which occurred last October when the figure was 649,700. The majority of foreigners working in the country come from the European Union, but these people were also the least likely to have left (just 1 percent). By comparison, the number of employees from non-EU countries fell 15 percent, largely in reaction to the coronavirus outbreak and the impending closure of borders. Czech institutions abroad have stopped accepting visa applications, making it far more difficult for foreigners to arrange working papers. This is becoming an increasingly serious problem, according to the country's Chamber of Commerce, which warns that companies need to begin recruiting workers again. It adds that the return of foreign workers wouldn't threaten Czech employees because they're in trades for which there is a lack of local expertise. Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose in June to 3.7 percent.