Foreign workers in Czech IT: pay, Blue Cards and students

In March 2026 foreign nationals held 957,235 employment relationships in Czechia, according to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV). At the end of 2025 the figure was 935,322, 11% more than a year earlier (own calculation). Citizens of Ukraine (374,421) and Slovakia (230,473) hold the most, followed by Romania, Poland and Bulgaria. The figures count employment relationships, not people, and since July 2024 MPSV describes them as estimates.

Sources: MPSV, open data (in Czech), CZSO, Economic activity of foreigners (in Czech)

How many foreigners work in IT?

The exact number of foreigners among ICT specialists is not published. MPSV's open data has no breakdown by occupation, and the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) takes its counts of ICT professionals from a sample survey that is not broken down by citizenship. Wages, however, are published.

Sources: MPSV, open data (in Czech), CZSO, ICT professionals and their wages (in Czech)

What do they earn?

The median wage of foreign ICT specialists is 28% higher than that of Czech nationals (own calculation). For ICT technicians the gap is similar: CZK 69,452 against CZK 53,650. The data does not say why. The positions, experience and fields that foreign workers are in may all differ. Pay across all ICT specialists is covered in the article How much people earn in IT.

Source: CZSO, ICT professionals and their wages (in Czech)

43% of Blue Cards go to IT

The EU Blue Card is a permit for highly qualified workers from outside the EU. Czechia issued 556 of them in 2025, Germany 58,290. Of all Czech Blue Cards, though, 241, or 43%, went to ICT specialists. The largest groups were citizens of India (79), Turkey (28), Ukraine (23) and Russia (17).

In MPSV data on employment relationships of foreigners holding a Blue Card, Indian citizens have had more records than Russian citizens since January 2026: 491 against 476 in March. In July 2024, when the series starts, it was the other way round, 554 against 364.

A Blue Card requires a salary of at least 1.5 times the average gross annual wage. From 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027 the average annual wage is set at CZK 590,580, so the minimum works out at roughly CZK 73,800 a month (own calculation).

Sources: Eurostat, migr_resbc11, MPSV, open data (in Czech), Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals (in Czech), Communication No. 44/2026 Coll. (in Czech)

A programme for highly qualified employees

Companies that want to hire a specialist from outside the EU can use the Highly Qualified Employee Programme run by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It is intended for positions in CZ-ISCO major groups 1 to 3, which include ICT specialists. Among other conditions, the employer must have been in business in Czechia for at least two years, have no arrears to the state, and in the last two years have employed at least three people for at least three consecutive months. The employment must be full-time and for at least a year; for a Blue Card, six months is enough.

Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade, Highly Qualified Employee Programme (in Czech)

Foreigners among IT students

Foreigners make up 31% of students in ICT programmes at Czech universities, more than in any other field. Of the 8,109 foreign students at the end of 2025, 3,452 were Slovak, 1,607 Ukrainian and 745 Russian. As recently as 2021, 1,323 Russians and 661 Ukrainians were studying IT. In 2025, 4,740 people graduated from ICT programmes, 1,443 of them foreigners.

Sources: CZSO, ICT specialists earn one hundred thousand on average (in Czech), CZSO, Foreigners' interest in ICT programmes has risen (in Czech)

What does this mean for companies?

• Foreigners are an important source of people for IT. Almost a third of future IT graduates are foreigners, most often from Slovakia.
• For a Blue Card, the salary decides. The threshold works out at about CZK 73,800 a month. The median for ICT specialists in 2025 was CZK 87,965, but around a third of them earned CZK 70,000 or less.
• Wages are best compared by position. The gap in the median between foreign and Czech nationals does not tell you who is paid what for the same work.

Summary

• Foreign nationals hold almost a million employment relationships in Czechia, most of them Ukrainians and Slovaks.
• Foreign ICT specialists have a median wage of CZK 107,958, Czech nationals CZK 84,380.
• In 2025, 43% of Czech Blue Cards went to IT; Indian citizens received the most. Foreigners make up 31% of students in IT programmes.

If you are filling an IT role and considering a specialist from abroad, tell us who you are looking for. How we work is described on the IT recruitment page.

As of 1 November 2026. MPSV data is for March 2026, CZSO and Eurostat data for 2025.

• foreign workers
• labour market
• EU Blue Card
• ICT specialists