The labour market is an indivisible component of each and every market economy. Manifestations of disproportions between the demand for work and its availability over the long-term – recurrent in certain sectors – are a problem for every market-oriented society. In recent years, the public debate in the Czech Republic has been increasingly turning to the deteriorating situation of young adults on the labour market. This article is focused on secondary school students and their personal attitude toward employment. It was prepared using both primary and secondary research methods. The primary data was obtained through external research carried out among secondary school students in the form of a survey in 2013. The research was focused on their attitude toward their future job prospects and expectations regarding their future professional lives. The data so acquired was processed using statistical methods. The secondary data was used to track the developmental trends on the Czech labour market in the recent past and, especially in the area of unemployment, as well as the problems involved in the employability of graduates of schools of different levels of education. The research results showed that the majority of secondary school students do not have a clear idea of how to achieve success in the labour market. For most of them, the studied field does not play a significant role in their future expectations about the labour market. The majority of them have most unrealistic ideas about the real needs of the Czech labour market. Their expectations of success in the labour market are mainly based on the simple fact that they are economically supported by other people and they would rather be doing work that they find entertaining. The research results can be used for the purpose of further comparison with the results of similar research in other countries in Europe as well as in the world.

The labour market is an indivisible component of each and every market economy. Manifestations of disproportions between the demand for work and its availability over the long-term – recurrent in certain sectors – are a problem for every market-oriented society. In recent years, the public debate in the Czech Republic has been increasingly turning to the deteriorating situation of young adults on the labour market. This article is focused on secondary school students and their personal attitude toward employment. It was prepared using both primary and secondary research methods. The primary data was obtained through external research carried out among secondary school students in the form of a survey in 2013. The research was focused on their attitude toward their future job prospects and expectations regarding their future professional lives. The data so acquired was processed using statistical methods. The secondary data was used to track the developmental trends on the Czech labour market in the recent past and, especially in the area of unemployment, as well as the problems involved in the employability of graduates of schools of different levels of education. The research results showed that the majority of secondary school students do not have a clear idea of how to achieve success in the labour market. For most of them, the studied field does not play a significant role in their future expectations about the labour market. The majority of them have most unrealistic ideas about the real needs of the Czech labour market. Their expectations of success in the labour market are mainly based on the simple fact that they are economically supported by other people and they would rather be doing work that they find entertaining. The research results can be used for the purpose of further comparison with the results of similar research in other countries in Europe as well as in the world.