The number of foreign nationals working in the Czech Republic continues to grow. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, their number reached 935,000 last year, an 11% increase year-on-year. This trend is underlined by data from Gi Group and Grafton Recruitment, which found that 84% of Czech companies now employ workers from abroad, up from around two-thirds of companies last year.
Companies particularly appreciate the contribution of foreign staff in filling vacancies more quickly and in ensuring shifts. However, in everyday operations, a number of barriers persist between Czech and foreign workers, primarily in communication and in different approaches to work. Most companies, however, do not yet systematically address the integration of international teams.
These results were drawn from “Mosaic of the Labour Market”, a survey of 1,500 employees and 324 company representatives, conducted in the first quarter of 2026. The survey combined the perspectives of employees and employers, allowing for a better understanding of where their views on work meet, and where they diverge.
Benefits across industries
Although foreign workers are now employed across all sectors of the economy, they are most prominently represented in logistics (where they are employed by up to 92% of companies, according to Gi Group and Grafton Recruitment), and in industry (86%). “Foreign workers are no longer just a complement to working teams in Czech companies, but are becoming a stable part of them. They play a key role, especially in industries that have long struggled with a shortage of people, and then also in physical, shift and less attractive positions,” said Radka Čechová, manager at Gi Group Grafton Recruitment.
According to the survey, 70% of people have already encountered workers of a different nationality in their jobs, which is 3 percentage points more year-on-year. They perceive the benefits of foreign colleagues primarily in everyday operations, most often mentioning better shift occupancy (28%), transfer of international experience (26%), and also lower work pressure thanks to sufficient numbers of people in the team (23%). Companies, on the other hand, look at the benefits more from the perspective of recruitment and performance. For 61% of them, faster filling of vacant positions is key, and almost half (47%) appreciate the willingness of foreign workers to work in shifts.
Lack of systematic support for cooperation
Although foreign workers bring many benefits to companies, their inclusion in work teams often creates recurring obstacles. The most significant of these is still the language barrier, which was mentioned by about half of employees and more than two-thirds of employers. At the same time, one-third of workers point to a different approach to work and almost a third to cultural differences in communication. Companies also point out systemic complications, especially bureaucracy, long waiting times and the associated costs.
However, insufficient support for cooperation between local and foreign employees remains a fundamental problem. Most companies lack systematic tools to facilitate this. Less than a third of employees have completed training or workshops focused on cooperation with colleagues from abroad. From the perspective of companies, only 18% of companies offer this kind of support, and a further 6% provide it only to managers. A full 76% of companies do not offer any specific programs in this area.
Integration is often limited to training
Support for the integration of foreign staff in companies most often relies on training. However, only a quarter of employees have access to it. While white-collar workers mention team-building more often, workers in industry tend to rely on the support of recruitment agencies. However, according to Gi Group and Grafton Recruitment, the proportion of companies that are commited to supporting integration is small.
“Integration is not a one-time step, but a long-term process,” said Čechová. “Initial training alone is not enough; companies must continuously work with the entire team and actively support cooperation, otherwise the potential of foreign workers will not be fully utilized. Experience also shows that existing employees must also be involved in the integration process, as it is necessary to properly explain to them both cultural differences, and the benefits of foreign colleagues. These lie primarily in the fact that they are more willing to work in multi-shift operations than local employees, thereby increasing the employer’s competitiveness on the market.”
She added that integration efforts should not only include support in the performance of work itself and integration into work teams, but also adaptation to the new environment.
