Employers should prepare for two significant changes. The first concerns the European Pay Transparency Directive and is intended to introduce new obligations relating to recruitment, pay setting and the information provided to employees. The second is the introduction of the so-called child safeguarding certificate, which is intended to enable more thorough screening of people who work with children. The new rules are expected to start being phased in from 2027.

While the legislation introducing the child safeguarding certificate has already been adopted, the Czech legislation on pay transparency is still going through the legislative process. For both changes, employers would be well advised to start preparing now.

Pay transparency: what will change?

Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council aims to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for equal work or work of equal value. The Czech Republic was required to transpose the Directive by 7 June 2026 but missed this deadline.

At the end of August 2026, the Government approved the draft Czech implementing legislation and submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies in September.

The new rules will not be limited to large companies. Certain basic obligations are intended to apply to employers regardless of their size.

Applicants will learn about pay before starting work

One of the most visible changes will be a new information requirement during recruitment.

Under the Government's proposal, employers will have to provide applicants with verifiable information about the minimum level of pay and other monetary and non-monetary benefits before entering into an employment relationship.

This information may, for example, be included in the job advertisement or provided during the selection process. The rule is intended to cover employment contracts as well as Czech agreements to perform work, known as DPP, and agreements to carry out work, known as DPČ.

The proposal will also prohibit employers from asking applicants about their previous wages, salaries or other remuneration.

Employers will need a clear pay system

Under the proposal, employers will be required to establish and maintain a transparent and non-discriminatory pay system. This will have to be documented in an internal regulation or a collective agreement.

The system will include, in particular, the definition of groups of jobs of equal value, the assignment of individual employees to these groups and the rules used to determine their pay. Job evaluation is intended to be based on objective criteria, such as the complexity, responsibility and demands of the work, working conditions and the skills required to perform it.

In practice, simply stating that employees are paid fairly will not be enough. Employers should be able to explain and document the rules they use to set pay.

Employees will have access to more pay information

Under the proposal, employees will be able to request, in writing, information about their own pay and the average pay of employees performing work in the same group of jobs, broken down by sex.

Employers are expected to respond within two months and inform employees of this right at least once a year. This will not give employees the right to know the specific pay of individual colleagues; their colleagues' privacy is intended to remain protected.

Regular reporting on pay differences is intended to apply to employers with at least 100 employees. Employers with 250 or more employees are expected to report annually, while those with 100 to 249 employees are expected to report every three years. The first reporting is expected to begin in 2028 for employers with 150 or more employees and in 2031 for those with 100 to 149 employees.

Child safeguarding certificates: a new requirement for working with children

The second significant change is the introduction of the so-called child safeguarding certificate. This term refers to a criminal record extract issued for work with children, with an annex containing information from a new register of facts relevant to working with children.

Act No. 270/2025 Coll. establishes this register to record specified criminal offences and acts that would otherwise constitute criminal offences. Unlike an ordinary criminal record extract, the certificate may also include convictions that have already been expunged. In certain cases, a record may be retained until the person concerned reaches the age of 100.

The change will be relevant, for example, to teaching staff carrying out direct educational activities involving minors. It will also apply to certain regulated trades, such as physical education and sports services or psychological counselling and diagnostic services.

What should employers prepare now?

We recommend reviewing pay rules, updating recruitment procedures and preparing to handle employees' requests for information. Employers operating in areas involving work with children should also check which people are covered by the new legislation and how the required extracts will be obtained and checked.

This article was prepared for you by JUDr. Ing. Eva Radová and Mgr. Vladimír Dušek.