Budget Reveals 453,400 On State Payroll

andrej Babis

Prague, May 27 (CTK) – Czech ministries, offices and their subsidised organisations employ 453,400 people this year, which is roughly 8,000 more year on year, with the number concerning jobs for which budget money has been set aside, the Finance Ministry said in its publication the State Budget in a Nutshell.

 

The figure includes 167,000 teachers, which is the largest number, some 64,000 non-teaching workers in education, 55,000 people in armed forces, and nearly 25,000 soldiers, said the publication providing basic information on the state budget to the public.

 

A total of Kc251.4bn should be allocated for wages from this year’s budget, excluding the European Union money, which accounts for 18 percent of all expenditures.

 

The Czech Republic’s state debt could be a little higher at the end of this year than it was last year, the Finance Ministry said in the publication.

 

In 2017, the state debt reached Kc1,624.7bn (32.2 percent of gross domestic product), and the estimated debt for 2018 is Kc1,663.9bn (31.4 percent of GDP), according to the publication.

 

The social and health insurance payment rate of Czech employers is the second highest among the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, reaching 34 percent. France is first with 36.6 percent.

 

The document represents the Czech version of the “Citizens Budget” whose publication has been recommended by many international organisations such as the World Bank, the OECD and the International Budget Partnership.

 

The state budget has been approved with a Kc50bn deficit for this year, with expenditures at Kc1,364bn and revenues at Kc1,314bn. The state budget should run a Kc50bn deficit in the coming years, too, based on medium-term frameworks.