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Solid economic growth and record-low unemployment has driven a growth in salaries for five years in succession. This year economists have a bleaker outlook, saying wage increases are likely to be significantly lower, due to the slowdown in economic growth.

Czechs are buying up property in the country’s mountain regions, with special interest being placed on historic log-houses and flats near ski resorts. These recreational locations are also getting more expensive, with local property prices rising by half in the past four years, Czech Radio reports.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČTI) has announced it has launched procedures against three unidentified online retailers for engaging in unjustified ‘geo-blocking’.

The situation at the Czech Republic’s internationally known Zetor tractor company has been stabilised following major layoffs announced last year. The downsizing and clearing of inventory proved effective and the company will even make a small number of fresh hires in the coming year, Czech Television reported.

The Czech Republic’s rail companies are planning to make major investments in the coming years, the Czech News Agency reported on Monday. The biggest operator, Czech Railways, is at present running a number of competitions to supply it with tens of new wagons and locomotives and will invest up to CZK 40 billion in the next five years, while RegioJet and other service providers aim to spend several billion crowns in a three-year period.

Czech Telecommunications Office (ČTÚ) head Jaromír Novák says postponing the auction of 5G frequencies by six months to May 2020 would cost the state at least CZK 6 billion in lost revenue.

Prague City Hall has won a dragged out case with a local Prague brothel, which threatened in a petition that 600 prostitutes would be forced on to the capital’s streets if it were closed down, novinky.cz reported on Monday.

The prices of cigarettes and tobacco are likely to rise in the Czech Republic in the near future, the Czech News Agency reported on Friday, citing the finance ministry’s plan to gradually increase consumer tax on tobacco and cigarettes in the next three years.

Czechs are spending increasing amounts of money on Christmas, according to a survey carried out by the agency Nielsen Admosphere. The average amount Czechs will spend on Christmas shopping this year is CZK 12,297, which is CZK 1,310 more than last year.

Developers are planning to promote the co-living concept in Prague and aim to attract tenants through attractive locations and rents, Hospodářské noviny reported on Wednesday.