The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic as of February, 2.4 percent, is the same as it was in November. Compared to February 2016, however, it’s a full percentage point lower, according to the Statistics Office, which makes it the lowest rate in the European Union. “We’ve been in first place in the European Union since August 2016,” says the statistics office’s director of labor stats Dalibor Holý. The figures apply to people between the ages of 15 and 64 years, with male unemployment one percentage point lower (2 percent) than female unemployment. With so little to pay out in unemployment benefits, the Czech Republic’s public finances are currently running a surplus of CZK 80.6 billion, or 1.59 percent of GDP.
