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Summary for: 7 workplace trends changing what Czech employers expect from job seekersWhat requirements do you typically expect to see in job adverts? Specialist knowledge and years of experience are usually top of the list. New workplace trends are, however, adding to these predictable demands.
With 61 percent of employers in Czechia struggling to fill roles, recruitment experts ManpowerGroup have identified seven key trends that present opportunity, as well as risk, for foreign workers. Expats.cz spoke with Jiří Halbrštát, marketing and communications director at ManpowerGroup, about what these changes mean for job seekers
Working alongside AI and external specialists
“Hybrid superteams” sound like something from a video game, but they’re a new reality across industries. Companies increasingly combine employees with artificial intelligence and external support in project groups that sidestep traditional hierarchies.
“Roles are now allocated based on where people add the most value, and where technology and AI can help instead,” explains Halbrštát.
- The opportunity: The demand for more diverse, AI-supported teams means foreigners with different perspectives and languages, not to mention tech skills, could be in greater demand.
- The risk: Over 50 percent of Czech firms in creative, consulting and IT industries now actively use AI. Many more plan to implement it in the year ahead. Some firms go too far, too fast on automation, putting jobs at risk.
- Your next move: Prepare an example of how you’ve used AI to improve your work, including how you checked its output. If you haven’t used it professionally, focus on a task relevant to the roles you’re applying for.
More opportunities for project-based work
The Czech labor market is notoriously inflexible. Part-time workers make up just 9.8 percent of the workforce, compared to an EU average of over 17 percent. Yet the “gig economy” is growing as companies turn to external support for one-off projects.
“Tapping into this model allows firms to react more quickly to market changes. Flexible arrangements have also become key to accessing top talent,” Halbrštát explains.
- The opportunity: More freelance ‘gigs’ could offer flexibility for those who can’t work full-time.
- The risk: Many skilled professions favored by foreigners, from copywriting to coding, face a thinning out of full-time roles, potentially because of AI technology.
- Your next move: Before accepting a project, confirm the contract type, payment schedule, expected hours, and whether more work is likely to follow. Compare what you’ll earn after your own costs with the salary and benefits of an employed role.
Employers expect you to keep learning
Firms want to know you’re adaptable enough to keep performing in a rapidly changing world. They put a premium on personal growth, not just in “hard” technical abilities but also in “soft” skills such as communication and critical thinking.
- The opportunity: Leadership, ethical decision-making and customer relations are seen as qualities that can’t be automated. Self-improvement in these areas, through independent or employer-organized training, could be your superpower.
- The risk: Constant learning on top of your day job is hard work, but you neglect it at your own risk.
- Your next move: Review several job ads for your target role and identify a skill employers repeatedly request. Prioritize that skill, then add evidence of it to your CV through a course, project, or specific achievement.
Changing leadership ambitions
Here’s a problem not many firms saw coming: the next generation of senior leaders, Generation X, is quite small, and younger middle manager millennials are struggling with competing life priorities and burnout.
“Only 39 percent of Gen X workers say they aspire to a managerial or leadership role, compared to 56 percent of millennials,” Halbrštát points out. “This threatens a crisis resulting from a lack of competent leaders.”
- The opportunity: If you do aspire to lead, there’ll be less competition. Your ambition will make you stand out.
- The risk: You might find employers pressuring you into a managerial career path that you don’t actually want.
- Your next move: If you want to lead, include examples of coordinating projects, mentoring colleagues, or taking responsibility for results. If you prefer specialist work, ask how you can progress without becoming a manager.
Higher productivity expectations
Employers are very excited about the ability of AI to transform their business and boost profit margins by dramatically increasing productivity. Yet the blame for failing to meet lofty new productivity goals tends to fall on real people, not machines.
- The opportunity: If you can demonstrate AI aptitude, you’ll undoubtedly enhance your career prospects.
- The risk: If your employer doesn’t emphasise wellbeing and sets unachievable AI-driven targets, be careful: you risk burning out.
- Your next move: Ask at the interview: “How have AI tools changed this role’s targets, and what training will I receive?” The answer can help you judge whether expectations come with adequate support.
Changing office policies and rising AI energy demands
According to ManpowerGroup, other key trends are attempts to get workers back to the office and the energy demands of AI integration.
Controversy around “back to office” policies hasn’t died out. Research cited in ManpowerGroup’s global report shows that the increase in turnover among women following return-to-office mandates was nearly three times higher than the increase among men. If you’re concerned, confirm the required office days and whether that policy is likely to change.
The escalating energy demands of the AI revolution, meanwhile, pose structural challenges for businesses. In this context, employees with energy infrastructure or sustainability expertise may find new opportunities falling into their lap. For energy or sustainability roles, ask which projects have approved funding and what expertise the team needs.
For anyone looking for work in Czechia, these trends can help you decide which skills to highlight and what to ask at your next interview. Use job ads to identify where to focus your learning, and ask employers about training, flexibility, and performance expectations before accepting an offer.
