PRAGUE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Czech economy is likely to expand at 3 percent this year if "common sense prevails" and the international trade will not be jeopardized due to Brexit or trade tensions, the Czech Chamber of Commerce predicted on Tuesday.

However, risks in foreign trade and wage growth threaten investment decision-making of enterprises, the chamber said in a statement, adding that if companies wait for investments, it may have a greater impact on the Czech economy than that caused by Brexit without an agreement.

The chamber noted that the number of companies that are considering cutting back investments this year has grown considerably.

The results of a regular chamber survey carried out recently show that 28 percent of companies will delay their investment decisions. Only 23 percent of companies expects to increase investment over that at the second half of 2018. Almost half of entrepreneurs plan to continue to invest at the current pace.

The chamber was also worried about the rapidly-rising wages, which would grow 7.6 percent nominally this year. According to the survey, entrepreneurs perceive labor costs as a barrier to growth for this year than the staff shortage itself.

In 2018, the Czech economy grew by 3 percent, according to statistics from the Czech Statistical Office. Enditem

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