“The Czech Republic will never be able to function without Skoda”

It's impossible to imagine the Czech Republic's economic success in recent decades without cars. In the space of twenty years, their annual production has increased from 400,000 to 1.4 million units. The sector employs over 160,000 people, offering them, in addition to professional and social stability, incomes well above average [75,128 crowns on average, or 3,005 euros, compared to a median salary in the country equivalent to 1,670 euros]. Until very recently, being hired at Skoda Auto, for example, was the guarantee of a secure and successful career.

But times are changing. The entire automotive industry is experiencing major turbulence, which began during the Covid-19 pandemic with the disruption of international supply chains. This was followed by the emergence of Chinese competition, which, particularly in the field of electromobility, is carving out an increasingly important place for itself in the European and Czech markets. And now, Donald Trump is now adding to all this.

The consequences are beginning to be felt. Since 2020, more than 80,000 jobs have been lost in Europe, and the number of cars produced is declining proportionally to China's rise. Within the European Union, the Czech Republic is the country most dependent on the automotive industry. And while no one knows today how this key sector will evolve, we nevertheless asked some of the students who have chosen to link their own futures to it. Are they afraid of losing their bet on stability?

It's not widely known, but for the past twenty-five years, a private college has been run by the country's largest car manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav [60 kilometers northeast of Prague]. It has some 1,300 students, destined to become the experts who will occupy the offices and laboratories where the brand's future is being determined. This is how Skoda Auto trains its engineers, salespeople, and other IT specialists.

The premises bear little resemblance to the rigid environment of Czech universities; the school's airy buildings are connected by glass bridges to modern classrooms. They reflect Skoda's success since its acquisition by the German Volkswagen Group in 1991, just after the fall of the communist regime [the "Velvet Revolution" in late 1989] in the former Czechoslovakia.

Here, the pride of belonging is obvious. In the parking lot, with the exception of our Volvo, there are only vehicles with the famous “winged arrow” manufactured in neighboring factories.