Czech unemployment held at 3% in March despite measures to curb the spread of coronavirus and showed no variations from normal in early April, but only the full month will show the trend, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Jana Malacova said on Sunday.
"The numbers are pleasing, but that does not mean it will stay this way. Probably April will be decisive," Malacova said during a live debate on Czech Television.
Full March jobs data are due to be released on April 8.
The country's main labour union group has said that some 400,000-450,000 jobs were at risk in the country of 10.7 million.
The Labour Ministry has said that unemployment could jump by 5 percentage points this year.
Under its so-called "Kurzarbeit" schemes, the government has agreed to pay the majority of wages for employees of firms that have been shut by an official order or lost customers and suppliers.
The Czech Republic enacted some of the most restrictive measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus in March, which have helped keep the numbers of infected safely within the capacity of the health system but at large economic cost.
It is now considering relaxing some of the restrictions after Easter if the trend for slowing daily percentage increases in cases continues.
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