Czech Republic and Slovakia push workforce retraining as AI demand surges

The Czech labour office announced a subsidy of up to 50,000 CZK for employees and self‑employed individuals who enrol in approved retraining courses, provided the programme aligns with future job prospects. Applications must be approved by the office and the funding is paid directly to the training provider.

In Slovakia, analysts report a rapid rise in job listings requiring artificial‑intelligence skills, climbing from 1,339 offers in the first half of last year to 2,659 in the same period this year. "AI vám nevezme prácu. Prácu vám vezme človek, ktorý vie AI používať lepšie," said Ľuboš Masný, co‑founder of the edubird project. Labour market specialists such as Martin Szabo and Juraj Zaťko warn that AI competence will soon become a standard requirement across many sectors, urging workers to acquire these skills now.