According to Labor Minister Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL), unemployment benefits should be reduced. He said it is “quite generous” compared to the fact that the Czech Republic has low unemployment and high demand for employees. People should look for work faster, he said.

“To motivate people to look for a job very quickly. We are working on this proposal, and I want us to be able to put it into effect, perhaps during the first half of next year,” Jurečka said.

The government and the National Economic Council of the Government (NERV) discussed measures to slow down the current rapid indebtedness of the state on Wednesday evening.

He said the specific form of the measure was not discussed at the meeting and is yet to be elaborated on.

In addition to unemployment benefits, the meeting also addressed coursework, i.e., part-time work with a state contribution to wages. According to Jurečka, there is a strong consensus in this case. “We have moved very concretely on the issue of adjusting its parameters,” the deputy prime minister said. He added that if the aid is activated and financially demanding, it should also be economically recoverable.

The two-hour meeting dealt with savings in the first and second parts with substantial assistance, mainly to companies in the fight against high energy prices. “We debated a material called ‘How to help the industry and at the same time not ruin the state treasury,’ which is very important,” said Jan Procházka, coordinator of NERV and head of the state-owned Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation (EGAP).

According to the Labor Office, unemployment in the Czech Republic rose slightly to 3.5 percent in September from 3.4 percent in August. It remains the lowest in the EU.

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