Pay raises lose momentum as Czech employers find hiring easier, survey says

Just 8 percent of employers surveyed by recruitment agency Předvýběr.CZ plan to increase pay in the final quarter of 2026, the lowest share recorded during its two years of quarterly polling.

The remaining 92 percent expect no wage changes. A year ago, 13 percent planned raises, according to the survey.

The findings suggest a contrast between improving business confidence and restrained pay plans. However, the survey follows a standing panel of approximately 100 business owners, managers and HR professionals, so it should not be treated as a comprehensive measure of all Czech employers.

Předvýběr.CZ Director František Boudný attributed the reduced appetite for pay increases partly to a larger pool of available jobseekers.

“One reason is that there are more available candidates on the labor market than in the past,” he said.

One-quarter of respondents reported more suitable candidates, while the same proportion said vacancies were easier to fill. The latter was the highest share recorded in the agency’s two-year survey.

Recruitment plans have also weakened compared with a year ago. Half of respondents intend to hire in the fourth quarter, down from more than 62 percent. Another 8 percent expect staffing reductions, while 42 percent anticipate no change.

Yet employers are becoming more optimistic about their own businesses. The proportion expecting their company’s economic situation to improve over the next three to six months rose by 13 percentage points from the previous quarter to 42 percent.

Only 8 percent expect deterioration, and half foresee no change.

The survey therefore does not point simply to companies retreating: many still plan to recruit and expect better conditions, while relatively few intend to raise wages before year-end.

Official wage figures provide a broader, and different, perspective. The average gross monthly wage reached CZK 51,966 in the second quarter, up 6.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the Czech Statistical Office.

With consumer prices rising 2 percent over the same period, wages increased by 4.3 percent in real terms.

Location makes a substantial difference. Prague’s average gross monthly wage was CZK 66,459, 27.9 percent above the national figure, and rose 6.2 percent year over year, the statistical office’s Prague data show.

At the other end of the regional ranking, the Karlovy Vary region averaged CZK 44,476.

The official figures describe wages already paid earlier this year; the recruitment survey measures employers’ intentions for October through December. A company planning no fourth-quarter increase may have raised salaries previously.

For employees assessing their pay, the distinction is useful: national wage growth provides context, but regional conditions and the timing of an employer’s salary reviews offer a closer comparison than the headline average alone.