When unemployed

There are 3 Labour Offices (Úřad práce) in Ostrava (in the city centre, Vítkovice and Poruba), you should visit one in the area of your residence. When you become unemployed registration at the Labour Office is not obligatory, but without registration you can not apply for unemployment benefits and later, when applying for the retirement pension, it is a disadvantage that there are “blank” periods during which you were not either employed, self-employed, or registered as unemployed (you can also be in the “replacement” period, such as on maternity leave, etc.).

While unemployed, social security payments are not required but it’s mandatory to continue paying health insurance. However, in certain situations, health insurance payments are covered by the government, those situations are eg. foreigners with permanent residence, EU citizens who are eligible for unemployment benefits, EU citizens who can prove their factual residence or unemployed non-EU spouses of economically active EU citizens.

Your former employer is obliged to inform the Social Security Office and your Health Insurance Company about the termination of your job. Nevertheless we recommend to contact your Health Insurance Company yourself to discuss further steps.

Not everybody can register as a job seeker. This is possible only for EU/EEA citizens, EU family members, non-EU citizens with permanent residence, blue card holders and holders of asylum/temporary protection.

First, you need to fill in the form “Žádost o zprostředkování zaměstnání” (Application for the Employment Mediation). You can do it online and then bring a hard copy with you. Also, you need a valid ID (or passport) and proof of your residence in the Czech Republic (temporary/permanent residence or a flat lease agreement).

After the registration, the Labour Office issues a document proving that you are registered.

After the registration, the clerk will arrange follow-up meetings with you. Within this time you are obliged to actively search for a job. Once you find a job, you must announce it to the Labour office and also to your health insurance company within 8 calendar days after the new contract has been made effective.

Until you find a new job, you must attend personal visits arranged by the clerk. Failure to attend these meetings will result in deletion from the register and loss of unemployment benefits (including health insurance covered by the government).

After filling in the first document (see above), please fill in the second one: “Žádost o podporu v nezaměstnanosti” (Application for Unemployment Benefits). You will need the same documents as for the first document: ID/passport, proof of residence in the Czech Republic (temporary/permanent residence or flat lease agreement), Czech bank account number, pension insurance records* (= evidenční list důchodového pojištění), employment records/credit list* (=potvrzení o zaměstnání/ zápočtový list). Termination agreement and employment records should be automatically given to you by your last employer. Please also ask your last employer for Confirmation of average income by the employer* (potvrzení zaměstnavatele o výši průměrného výdělku).

*For the self-employed this is replaced by the Confirmation of the duration of participation in the pension insurance from the Social security office (=“potvrzení o době trvání účasti na důchodovém pojištění”). Also an official document from the Trade Licence Office (Živnostenský úřad) is needed to certify that your Trade Licence has been interrupted or cancelled.

You can apply for unemployment benefit if you were working for at least 12 months* within the last 24 months (and you were paying social security). The self-employed have different rules, but are also eligible. If you want to know more, please contact us.

Only EU/EEA citizens, EU family members, non-EU citizens with permanent residence, and blue card holders are eligible.

*for EU citizens: months worked in other EU member states are also counted

The amount and length of the payment of the employment benefits you are entitled to depends on the reasons why your employment contract was terminated, and varies depending on your age, income and the length of employment in the previous period. For those who have received severance pay (=odstupné) in the previous job, the payment of the unemployment benefit is postponed by the appropriate number of months.

The maximum unemployment benefit in 2023 can be CZK 22,798 per month. For the self-employed, the monthly amount is calculated by the Social Security Office (Okresní správa sociálního zabezpečení, OSSZ) from the last assessment base for the social insurance, ie half of the profit (after deduction of expenses) in the previous year. In the first year of self-employment, however, the assessment base is taken as the minimum one, no matter what the profits achieved are; thus the unemployment benefit is actually very low.

After the registration, the clerk will arrange follow-up meetings with you. Within this time you are obliged to actively search for a job. Once you find a job, you must announce it to the Labour office and also to your health insurance company within 8 calendar days after the new contract has been made effective.

Until you find a new job, you must attend personal visits arranged by the clerk. Failure to attend these meetings will result in deletion from the register and loss of unemployment benefits (including health insurance covered by the government).

When in a difficult personal situation you can use forms of financial support from the Labor Office – state social support and benefits in material needs. Please see the list of benefits and see videos with English subtitles. If in doubt please contact us so that we can support you.