The American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic prepared another update on the Czech workforce. This report focuses on main trends in employment and median wages in six occupational categories (managers, professionals, technicians, clerical workforce, craftsmen and plant, machine operators and assemblers) in the private and public sector in the South Moravian region (Jihomoravský kraj).

Key findings:

Employment. White collar jobs constituted almost 55% of total employment in South Moravian region in 2017.

Employment. Technicians have been the occupational category with the largest increase in absolute numbers in the past year (+4,300 positions) as well as since 2011 (+20,500 positions), followed by clerical workers (+5,700 positions since 2011; +3,400 y-o-y in 2017). Managers lost 2,500 positions in the 2011-17 period and 300 y-o-y in 2017.

Employment. In relative numbers, the largest employment increase in 2017 was recorded in clerical workers (10.4%) followed by plant, machine operators, assemblers (5.8%). Plant, machine operators, assemblers have made around 17% share of the total workforce in the region in the past years.  Professionals and technicians make around 20% and 29% shares, respectively. Managers have been gradually descending  from 7% in to the current 5.6% share.

Employment. The growth in the category of technicians accelerated in 2017 (y-o-y increase by 4.5%). The number of technicians has grown by 25.8% since 2011 and it is the fastest growing occupational category. Managerial positions were reduced by 11.5% since 2001.

Employment. The private sector has been experiencing a downward trend in the number of managers since 2011 (7.2% and 5.7% of private sector workforce in 2011 and 2017, respectively) and an upward  trend in technicians (23.2% and 27.2% of private sector workforce in 2011 and 2017, respectively). 

Employment. Employment has been growing at a faster pace in the private sector than in the public sector, recording a growth by 12.5% in the 2011-2017 period in the private sector, compared with –2.3% growth in the public sector in the period. Still, in 2017, employment growth decelerated in both sectors: in the private sector to 4.2% (5.3% in 2016) and to 0.3% (1.6% in 2016) in the public sector. 

Wages. In all six occupational categories both in the public and private sectors, growth of median wages accelerated in 2017 compared with the previous year, except for private sector clerical workers (7.6% growth in 2016 and 4.3% growth in 2017). 

Wages. Public sector median wages grew in the range of 23.7% (professionals) to 30.5% (plant, machine operators, assemblers) in the 2011-2017 period. Private sector managers’ median wage grew by 10.7% in the period.

Wages. In 2017, public sector median wages rose by 6.2%-9.5% year-on-year, compared with private sector growth of median wages by 4.3%-9.1%. 

Wages. In 2017, public sector managers, technicians, clerical workers, plant, machine operators, assemblers earned a greater median wage than their private sector counterparts. 

Wages. In 2017, in the private sector, clerical workers earned lower median wage than craftsmen and plant, machine operators, assemblers.

Wages. In the private sector, pay gap between managers and professionals is narrow, unlike in the public sector. In the public sector, pay gap between professionals and technicians is narrow, unlike in the private sector.