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Average monthly salaries in the Czech Republic grew by 8.6 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of this year, according to figures released this week by the Czech Statistics Office. The average wage stood at a record CZK 31,851 at the end of June.

All Czech road and rail bridges dating from the 1960s to the 1980s are to undergo safety checks. Around 1,000 bridges are set for inspection by the relevant authorities, while the transport minister has also called on regional authorities to carry out controls.

Legislation came into effect at this time last year aimed at removing thousands of billboards standing by motorways and first class roads across the Czech Republic. However, 12 months later the majority of such advertisements are still in place.

The upswing in apartment and house prices in the Czech Republic has spread to the market for cottages and chalets. Indeed, such recreational homes have gone up by an average of 20 percent in the last year, according to a company that monitors property prices.

Czech trade unions have been pushing for a shorter work week by two and a half hours, but a recent survey shows that Czech employees are dreaming of much more – a five-hour work day and unlimited holidays.

The Czech Republic has been among the EU’s top budget performers, running overall fiscal surpluses in the past two years on the back of an economic boom and a fall in unemployment to under 3 per cent – the lowest level in the bloc. So why is the government now looking to run deficits at a time of slowing growth?

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says he plans to increase the salaries of teachers by 15 percent and those of non-teaching school employees by 10 percent. Speaking after talks with union chiefs, he said the raises should come in next year.

Czech farmers are predicting a significant slump in the hop harvest this year, caused by the unusually hot weather and lack of rain. Hop production is expected to drop despite the fact that the overall area of hop fields expanded by 81 hectares in 2018. Last year, farmers harvested over 6,700 tonnes of hops, which was slightly above the average.

Czechs do not have much confidence in their partner’s financial skills, suggests a survey carried out by the post office bank, Poštovní spořitelna. They suspect their partners of excessive spending and in many cases they are unwilling to lend them money.

Large supermarkets in the Czech Republic are struggling with a serious shortage of employees, caused by record low unemployment. According to the website Novinky.cz, a lack of employees has forced the British supermarket chain Tesco to cut opening hours in its Czech stores.