A total of 194,000 foreigners have been legally employed in the Czech Republic by the end of this March, which is 6,400 more than in February, according to the statistics published by the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry.
According to the figures, the number of foreigners working in the Czech Republic grew by 43,000 last year, with most people coming from Slovakia and Ukraine. Apart from legally employed foreigners tens of thousands of people from other countries work in the Czech Republic illegally, according to estimates.
The number of legally employed foreigners is growing which is also confirmed by the fact that only 108,000 foreigners legally worked in the Czech Republic in 2004. The Czech Republic's EU membership and its economic growth are the reason for this increase.
At the end of March, more than 93,000 Slovaks worked in the Czech Republic, which is 2,500 more than in February. More than 48,000 Ukrainians had work permits at the end of March, which is 1,500 more than in February.
Poles of whom more than 19,000 legally worked in the Czech Republic at the end of March are the third largest group of legally employed foreigners.
People from European Union countries, the European Economic Area and Switzerland can work in the Czech Republic without a work permit, while people from other countries must have it. By the end of March, about 62,000 work permits have been issued by Czech authorities.

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