Less than one-third of all Czech companies are planning to hand out bonuses for 2020, according to a recent report by the Chamber of Commerce. That’s a huge decline from 2019, when roughly 60 percent of all employees in the private sector received what’s locally called the 13th paycheck. It’s also the lowest figure in five years. The Chamber of Commerce surveyed a total of 743 companies of all sizes. While fewer companies will be providing bonuses, those employees lucky enough to receive them could actually receive slightly more than last year. The most common bonuses range from CZK 19,000 to CZK 39,000. The number of companies paying bonuses had risen every year since 2016, when just 39 percent gave their staff something extra to end the year. The pandemic has hit profitability figures of Czech companies and the only government support available was directed at keeping employees on the books. Corporate losses were not compensated by the state, though in some cases, public funds were used to offset rental payments.
