Working at Škoda Auto
Mladá Boleslav, Středočeský kraj · Automotive (OEM assembly)
| Site opened | 1905 — oldest vehicle plant in the country |
| Output 2024 | 575,000 vehicles |
| Headcount | ~24,000 at Mladá Boleslav |
| Foreign workers | roughly one in ten |
| Average wage | ~54,000 Kč/month across the site |
| Union | Odbory KOVO Mladá Boleslav — negotiates tariffs annually |
About the plant
Škoda Auto's Mladá Boleslav plant is the largest single industrial employer in the Czech Republic and the oldest car plant in the country — vehicle production started here in 1905. In 2024 the site built 575,000 cars: Fabia, Scala, Octavia, Kamiq and the electric Enyaq, plus 500,000 EA 211 engines, 355,000 MQ 200 gearboxes and 227,000 battery packs for the MEB platform.
In February 2026 the plant opened a new battery systems hall — a €205 million investment across 55,000 m², running 131 industrial robots at 84% automation and producing one battery system per minute. It created around 600 positions, part new hires and part redeployment from elsewhere on site.
What it pays
Škoda pay is set by a collective agreement with a published tariff table — unusual transparency for the sector. The 2025–2026 agreement runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and covers 20 grades.
| Lowest grade (J) | 37,089 Kč/month |
| Highest grade (A1) | 77,911 Kč/month |
| Site average | ~54,000 Kč/month |
| Annual bonus | 33,000 Kč paid for the 2022 year |
Tariffs are gross. A worker on the lowest grade takes home roughly €1,150–1,250 net after tax and insurance.
Working conditions
- Collective agreement in force, renegotiated annually with Odbory KOVO
- Company-run worker hostels (Ubytovna Škoda) in Mladá Boleslav II and III
- Shift patterns are not published — expect two or three shift rotation typical for volume assembly
Recent news
| February 2025 | Announced a reduction of up to 15% of indirect staff — around 6,000 people by 2028 — through natural attrition rather than redundancies. Driven by the EV transition and margin pressure. |
| March 2025 | Škoda clarified that direct production workers are not being made redundant; the plan is to leave some vacancies unfilled as people retire. |
| February 2026 | New battery systems hall opened, ~600 positions. |
| 2025 | Shifts were cancelled at points because of component shortages, with the company stating it would not make workers redundant over it. |
Can a foreign worker get in here?
In January 2023 the plant needed 1,830 agency workers. Local reporting since then describes those numbers being cut back. Agency hiring at Škoda is real but cyclical — it expands with volume and contracts fast when output drops.
Agency hiring documented, but volatile. Not a stable entry point in 2026.
Getting there
The plant sits inside Mladá Boleslav itself, roughly 50 km north-east of Prague. No shuttle from Prague is needed — the workforce lives in the town.
Where workers live
Workers have historically lived in the panel-block districts built in the 1960s specifically for the plant's expansion — the Habě district in particular, separated from the works by the Bondy shopping centre. Škoda also runs its own worker hostels in Mladá Boleslav II and III. Rent figures are not published.
Our intake in this region
Open positions in Středočeský kraj. Not necessarily at this plant.
Frequently asked questions
Does Škoda Auto hire foreign workers?
In January 2023 the plant needed 1,830 agency workers. Local reporting since then describes those numbers being cut back. Agency hiring at Škoda is real but cyclical — it expands with volume and contracts fast when output drops.
What does it pay?
Škoda pay is set by a collective agreement with a published tariff table — unusual transparency for the sector. The 2025–2026 agreement runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and covers 20 grades. Tariffs are gross. A worker on the lowest grade takes home roughly €1,150–1,250 net after tax and insurance.
What are the shifts?
Collective agreement in force, renegotiated annually with Odbory KOVO Company-run worker hostels (Ubytovna Škoda) in Mladá Boleslav II and III
Where would I live?
Workers have historically lived in the panel-block districts built in the 1960s specifically for the plant's expansion — the Habě district in particular, separated from the works by the Bondy shopping centre. Škoda also runs its own worker hostels in Mladá Boleslav II and III. Rent figures are not published.
Can I apply directly instead of through an agency?
If you are already legally resident in Czechia, yes — apply on the company careers page. From outside the EU it is much harder, because a direct application rarely covers employee card sponsorship, and that is the part an agency arranges.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Where a fact could not be verified, we left it out rather than estimating.