For comparison, the average unemployment rate across the European Union remained at 5.9%, unchanged from November. In the euro area, unemployment declined to 6.2%. Among individual EU member states, only Malta and Poland (both at 3.2%) and Bulgaria (3.3%) came close to the Czech figures. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Finland recorded the highest unemployment rate at 10.2%.

Across the EU, Eurostat estimates that 13.0 million people were unemployed in December, including 10.8 million in the euro area. Month-to-month, the number of unemployed people fell slightly – by 94,000 in the EU and 61,000 in the eurozone.

Youth unemployment (under age 25) in Czechia stood at 10.1%, still well below the EU average of 14.7% despite a slight month-to-month increase.

Eurostat uses the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition of unemployment, counting only those who have actively searched for a job in the past four weeks and are available to start within two weeks. Because of this standardized methodology, Eurostat’s data differ from figures published by the Czech Labour Office, which tracks registered jobseekers. While the Labour Office reported 4.8% unemployment in December, Eurostat’s internationally comparable methodology places Czechia firmly at the top of the EU ranking.

Czechia’s consistently low unemployment rate underscores the country’s strong economic fundamentals, high workforce participation, and stable labor market conditions. As Czechia deepens its economic ties with the United States, these indicators reinforce the country’s position as a competitive partner for trade, manufacturing, innovation, and shared R&D projects.

Prepared by the team of the CzechTrade office in San Francisco.
Source: Eurostat.