What does Test of Czech Labor Market Mean?

Short overview: The test of the Czech labor market is a part of Czech employee card and blue card processes. Essentially it exists to protect the Czech labor market and to give Czech (and EU) citizens the right to apply for particular jobs before these jobs can be offered to non-EU citizens.  

How is the test of Czech labor market carried out?

This is how the whole process works:

1. If a Czech employer plans on employing a non-EU citizen (without free access to Czech labor market where different rules apply), they must first advertise the open position at this website of the Czech Labor Office. 

2. The position must stay on the website for a specific amount of time, during which it is "reserved" for Czech or other EU citizens. For years, the positions had to stay posted on the Labor Office's website for 30 days to complete the test of the Czech labor market. Later on, this period was shortened to 10 days for highly qualified employee card positions and all blue card positions. As of September 2026, the test of the labor market is set at 0 (zero) days. This means that the position still has to be posted on the Labor Office's website but there is no waiting period to get the vacancy number (see below). 

Important note: The period of the test of the Czech labor market is tied to the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic. If the unemployment rate goes above a set limit (it is different for different regions of the Czech Republic), the test of the labor market will kick in again. 

3. When the test of the labor market is done (as of now basically immediately after posting the position), the job is assigned a so-called "vacancy number". This number is required in the section of the employee card application form titled "the requested work position is in central records of job vacancies fillable by employment card holders". And in the "Vacancy number" section of the blue card application form.

What Happens if a Czech or Other EU Citizen is Interested in the Vacancy?

Companies basically only post the job advertisement on the Labor Office's website when they already have a non-EU citizen they want to hire. That means they either have not found any suitable Czech/EU candidate or they are for some reason not interested in hiring one. 

So, what happens if a Czech or an EU citizen finds the job advertisement and applies for the position? 

It depends on how they apply. If they contact the employer on their own (through the Labor Office's website, via e-mail, a call, etc.), the employer does not really need to do anything. 

If, however, the candidate comes with a so-called "doporučenka" ("recommendation") from the Labor Office, the situation changes radically. What this means, though, is that the candidate is in the database of the Labor Office and the job was recommended to them based on their skills and/or education. 

In such cases, the employer is obliged to invite the candidate for an interview and actually consider them for the position. They also need to fill out this "doporučenka" and specify the outcome of the interview (whether the person was hired, will go through another round of interviews, or was not hired - and why). 

Test of Czech Labor Market - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Test of Czech Labor Market? 

The test of the Czech labor market is a procedural part of an employee card or a blue card application. It exists to give Czech (and other EU) citizens the right to apply for available vacancies before these are offered to non-EU citizens.    

How Long is Test of Czech Labor Market?

As of September 2026, the test of the Czech labor market is set at 0 (zero) days. This means companies still have to advertise their job offers through the Labor Office's website but they can offer the jobs to non-EU citizens as soon as they are advertised. The duration of the test of the labor market is tied to the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic though and can change over time. Previously, the test was set at 10 or even 30 days, depending on the position.  

Does Test of Czech Labor Market Apply to both Employee Card and Blue Card? 

Yes, test of Czech labor market generally applies to both employee card and blue card processes. The only exception there is so called "non-dual employee card" which is issued to applicants with free access to Czech labor market. Non-dual employee card applicants do not have to go through the test of the Czech labor market process. 

Do you have any other questions? Contact us now - we have completed hundreds of successful employee card and blue card applications and will be happy to help with yours as well. 

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