Prague, Oct 18 (CTK) – The number of Czech civil servants has been steadily growing since 2013 and it is expected to further increase to nearly 445,000 next year, according to the latest data of the Finance Ministry.
In 2014, the number of civil servants rose by 3,000. In 2015 and 2016, it rose by approximately 6,000 and 15,000, respectively, and the 2017 state budget envisages an additional increase by 7,600.
Out of the 445,000 civil servants, 28,000 will be employed at ministries and central state bodies such as the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) and the Energy Regulatory Office (ERU), 58,000 at the organisational bodies of the state such as the General Financial Directorate and labour offices, and 86,000 at security bodies, including police and customs officers, soldiers and prison guards.
Majority of the civil servants are 239,000 employees of organisations supervised by individual ministries, mostly teachers.
The Czech Republic has 10.5 million inhabitants.
The state paid 132.5 million crowns in salaries for civil servants in 2012, while this year the sum is 149 million crowns and next year it is to be 162 million crowns, mainly as a result of a pay rise.
The average monthly salary of a civil servant will increase from the current 27,000 crowns to 29,000 crowns in 2017.
The right-wing opposition has criticised the centre-left government of Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) for swelling the civil service and increasing these expenditures.
Number of civil servants and their salaries (according to the Finance Ministry):
Year Number of civil servants Total expenses on wages (in millions of crowns) Average monthly wage (in crowns)
2012 413,892 132,497 24,908
2013 413,595 134,278 25,107
2014 416,645 138,489 25,880
2015 422,445 147,090 26,892
2016 437,291 149,055 26,979
2017* 444,928 161,966 28,855
($1=24.584 crowns)
