What is the difference between the Employee Card and the EU Blue Card in Czechia?

The Employee Card (zaměstnanecká karta) is Czechia's standard combined work-and-residence permit and its national version of the EU Single Permit; it has no salary minimum and is open to all qualification levels, usually tied to a specific job and employer. The EU Blue Card (modrá karta) is for highly qualified workers and requires a university-level degree (or qualifying experience for IT) plus a gross salary of at least 1.5 times the Czech average wage, which is updated annually. The Blue Card offers stronger intra-EU mobility. For most roles the Employee Card is simpler; for high-skill professionals planning EU mobility, the Blue Card may be preferable.