Two-thirds of Czechs believe that there are too many foreign nationals working in the Czech Republic, according to a survey conducted by the STEM agency. However, the proportion of people who reject the employment of foreign workers has been declining over the long term,
The survey, conducted between 16 and 25 January with 1,061 respondents, also found that 58% of respondents consider foreign workers to be a solution to the labour shortage in certain professions.
However, 65% of people agreed that there are too many foreign nationals employed in the Czech Republic and almost half of the public believes that employing foreign workers takes jobs away from Czechs.
Nonetheless, these attitudes are gradually softening. “The condition of the Czech economy plays a key role in this regard,” the agency said.
During the global economic crisis after 2008, up to three-quarters of Czechs believed that foreign nationals were taking jobs away from the Czech population. According to statisticians, this was also related to the rise in unemployment at the time.
“At the beginning of 2026, we are seeing a slight improvement in trends, which may be largely related to the economic recovery in the Czech Republic and a significant easing of the inflationary pressures that characterised the previous period,” said STEM said, adding that the growing number of foreign nationals in the Czech Republic is also a factor.
According to statisticians, the personal experience of many Czechs who are struggling with a shortage of workers in selected professions, whether as employers or as employees who have to temporarily take on additional tasks, may also play a role.
People with lower education and the unemployed feel more threatened by foreign workers, while the concerns of Czechs with university education are lower, “even though they too are exposed to competition in the labour market, particularly from Slovakia,” the agency noted.
Slovaks working in the Czech Republic hold higher-skilled positions. In the first half of last year, the average Slovak earned CZK 65,000 per month in the Czech Republic, around CZK 14,000 higher than the average wage for Czechs.
However, most foreign nationals in the Czech Republic are working in lower-skilled jobs, which are also associated with lower wages. For example, Ukrainian workers received an average monthly wage of CZK 38,000 in the first half of 2025. “Foreigners working in the Czech Republic also work more hours per month on average than the average Czech employee,” said the statisticians.
STEM pointed out that, compared to previous years, the attitudes of young people under the age of 30 had changed. “While in 2023, they were more accommodating towards the employment of foreign nationals than older people, in January 2026, their attitudes are comparable to those of older age groups of working age,” the statisticians added.
