Sunday shopping ban claims 3,000 jobs

Budapest, July 22 (MTI) – The Sunday shopping ban meant that wholesale and retail employment in May was down by 3,000 from February, the last month without restrictions on Sunday shopping, the Wednesday issue of daily Nepszabadsag said citing data from the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

The paper said retail jobs were most affected, with the sector suffering some 2,600 cuts. The rest of the job losses occurred in wholesale, the paper said, adding that the KSH study only covered companies employing at least five people.

The number of part-time workers, who were generally among the first to be cut, was down by 2,300 from February. The number of full-time jobs increased from April, but were down by 700 compared to February, Nepszabadsag said.

The job cuts meant that overtime hours came to 388,000, up by 70,000 from the same month last year, as stores had to extend their opening hours to offset the losses incurred due to the shopping ban.

Photo: konyvtar.elte.hu

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters