Unemployment in ČR grows to record 8.1% in Feb

Prague, March 8 (CTK) - Unemployment in the Czech Republic grew to record-high 8.1 percent in February from 8 percent in January, with employment offices registering 593,683 jobless persons, 7,874 more month-on-month, the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry said Friday.

Compared with February 2012, the number of unemployed persons rose by around 52,000 in February this year.

Unemployment in the Czech Republic increased to another record high in February, analysts said. However, they had expected the growth.

The data are calculated by a new methodology that sets the share of unemployed persons on the population.

"If unemployment was expressed by the indicator used earlier, it would reach 10.2 percent," David Marek, the chief economist of company Patria Finance, said.

In January, unemployment calculated by the previous methodology exceeded 10 percent. The rate was the highest since the dissolution of former Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The labour market increasingly reflects the domestic recession, Komercni banka analyst Marek Drimal said, adding the trend of growing unemployment should continue in the future.

Analysts had expected the jobless rate to grow to 8.1 percent.

The number of registered job seekers ready to start work immediately rose by 8,077 month-on-month to 579,969 in February. In a year-on-year comparison, the number grew by 54,850.

Employment offices registered 34,635 job openings at the end of February, a month-on-month growth of 859. The average number of jobless persons per a job opening was 17.1.

The highest number of job seekers per a vacancy was registered in districts Jesenik (129.9), Bruntal (90.0), Havlickuv Brod (70.3), Most (55.6), Karvina (54.9) and Decin (53.8).

The highest unemployment rate of 14.1 percent was registered by employment offices in the Bruntal district, followed by Jesenik (13.7 percent), Most (13.6 percent) and Znojmo (12.1 percent).

In contrast, the lowest jobless rate was registered in Prague-East district (3.5 percent), followed by Prague-West (3.8 percent), Prague (4.6 percent) and Mlada Boleslav (4.7 percent).

A month-on-month growth of unemployment was recorded in 68 districts. The biggest 3.7 percent increase was registered in district Prague-East, followed by Prague-West (3.1 percent), Prague (3 percent), Prachatice (2.9 percent), and Kolin and Ostrava (2.5 percent each).

Employment offices newly registered 44,760 job seekers during February, a month-on-month drop of 38,745 and a year-on-year drop of 9,761.

A total of 143,760 jobless persons received unemployment benefits, that is 24.2 percent of all the registered unemployed. The share of job seekers receiving unemployment benefits reached 23.6 percent in January and 25.7 percent in February last year.

Unemployment in CR's regions in Feb (new methodology):
region number of job seekers share of unemployed on population (in pct)
Prague 39,949 4.6
Stredocesky 59,135 6.7
Jihocesky 32,662 7.3
Plzensky 26,531 6.7
Karlovarsky 19,865 9.3
Ustecky 66,012 11.3
Liberecky 26,028 8.4
Kralovehradecky 27,697 7.2
Pardubicky 27,978 7.8
Kraj Vysocina 29,186 8.3
Jihomoravsky 71,215 8.8
Olomoucky 44,555 10.0
Zlinsky 35,290 8.6
Moravskoslezsky 87,580 10.0
CR total 593,683 8.1

Source: Labour and Social Affairs Ministry