Unemployment

Within the whole Czech Republic, South Moravia is a region with a long-term above-average level of unemployment. This is a trend that has been apparent since late ninties when traditional pillars of the region’s economy – especially textile and many engineering companies started to go bankrupt. Also, the leather and shoe-making industries faced substantial job-losses, as well as the brown-coal mining and metal working branches. Since then, the negative tendency of unemployment growth has been partly offset by the foreign direct investment that has been flowing mainly to the electronics, engineering and automotive sectors. After its peaks in early 2004 (unemployment rate of 12.1 %) and 2010 (reaching 11.4 % due to a worldwide crisis) the unemployment rate is constantly decreasing and nowadays is the lowest since 1996.1 The unemployment tends to fluctuate during the year. In absolute figures it means between 33,000 (June 2020) and 31,000 (January 2020) jobless, of which little less than a half are usually women (48.3 % in winter, but up to 50.6 % in summer months). The share of unemployed is 4.1 % and it is generally regarded as higher than national average (3.7 %, 2020).

Unemployment rate trend 1994–2020

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Regional Development Agency of South Moravia


From the regional point of view the most affected areas are Hodonín district and Znojmo district with average year unemployment about 5.0 % in 2020 (some 5,000 unemployed in Hodonín, 4,000 unemployed in Znojmo). The unemployment rate in the City of Brno during the crisis rose up from 5.5 % (2008) to 9.0 % in the first half of 2014. Current rate is steadily around 4.0 % (with some 11,000 unemployed) thereby has become the third highest in the region. Among the unemployed in Brno there is also the highest share of university graduates (almost 12 per cent in summer months in opposite to the regional 8.0 % and national 6.0 % average; 07/2020).

Average annual unemployment rate in the South Moravian Region (share of the unemployment rate in the population aged 15–64)

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Regional Development Agency of South Moravia

Tab. 8: Unemployment rate in individual districts of South Moravia

District

2005

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020*

Blansko

8.4

5.5

10.2

8.8

6.9

4.9

3.5

2.8

2.4

3.1

Brno-city

9.5

5.5

8.5

8.5

8.9

7.2

5.8

4.6

4.1

4.5

Brno-district

6.9

4.2

8.3

7.6

6.7

4.7

3.7

2.8

2.5

2.9

Břeclav

10.6

6.0

11.1

10.1

7.7

5.3

4.1

3.4

3.0

3.6

Hodonín

14.3

9.9

15.0

13.9

10.4

7.8

6.4

5.2

4.5

4.9

Vyškov

9.1

4.4

8.9

8.3

6.3

3.9

3.0

2.3

2.0

2.5

Znojmo

13.1

9.5

13.2

13.4

10.3

8.1

6.7

5.6

5.0

5.6

South Moravia

10.1

6.2

10.2

9.7

8.3

6.3

5.0

4.0

3.5

4.0

Czech Republic

8.9

5.4

9.0

8.6

7.7

5.5

4.2

3.3

2.9

3.5

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Average annual data (* January–September average, 2020)

Tab. 9: Job opportunities

District

2005

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Blansko

586

831

205

194

385

828

1,081

1,131

960

798

Brno-city

2,548

6,950

1,370

965

1,422

4,091

5,803

8,044

10,134

12,321

Brno-district

602

3,059

536

557

800

2,519

4,051

7,375

7,564

7,062

Břeclav

419

705

237

227

611

1,268

1,297

1,751

1,974

155

Hodonín

537

827

339

343

432

1,041

1,355

2,179

2,132

2,075

Vyškov

280

552

159

195

255

770

1,103

1,524

1,784

1,853

Znojmo

642

1,267

417

360

418

761

1,052

1,413

1,496

1,669

South Moravia

5,613

14,190

3,262

2,839

4,322

11,277

15,741

23,416

26,042

27,328

Czech Republic

54,677

133,485

32,992

39,597

51,396

131,191

189,282

298,895

340,921

339,001

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Average annual data (* 1Q – 2Q 2020 average)

  • Regional Development Agency of South Moravia
    Výstaviště 405/1
    603 00 Brno
    Czech Republic
    www.rrajm.cz