Filipino guest workers in Hungary may far exceed government claims

According to news agencies in Manila, there are over 16,000 Filipino guest workers in Hungary, contradicting previous claims by Péter Szijjártó. The Hungarian foreign minister visited the Philippines last week, where he held talks with Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo and also met with President Ferdinand R. Marcos.

While in Manila, the Hungarian foreign minister made a statement regarding relations between the two countries. He emphasised that illegal migrants should not be confused with those who travel to another country to work in lawful conditions, as illegal border crossing is not a human right but a crime. This meeting was particularly significant as Hungary is set to take over the presidency of the European Union on 1 July, amid a challenging global security and economic climate.

Although the minister did not provide an exact figure on Thursday, he stated that there are more than 10,000 Filipino guest workers in Hungary, who are not considered illegal migrants, as reported by24.hu. Both Hungary and the Philippines agree that a country has the sovereign right to decide who it allows within its borders and with whom it wishes to share its territory.

How many Filipino guest workers are in Hungary?

Photo: FB/ Szijjártó Péter

Szijjártó’s visit was also covered by the Manila newspapers, which highlighted that many Filipinos have recently chosen Hungary as their “second home”. According to these reports, in 2023, Hungary was the Philippines’ 46th trading partner, 30th export market, and 64th source of imports. One news agency reported that as of December 2023, there were approximately 16,098 Filipinos residing in Hungary. This figure is significantly higher than the one previously mentioned by the Hungarian foreign minister, as 24.hu highlighted.

Manila newspapers also reported that the majority of Filipino guest workers in Hungary are employed in various sectors, including automotive technicians, machine operators, drivers, forklift operators, hotel workers, agricultural workers, warehouse workers, logistics operators, and truck drivers.

We previously reported, according to Szijjártó, cooperation between Hungary and the Philippines is “the best example of successful East-West relations”. Furthermore, the turnover of bilateral trade has exceeded 300 million dollars, largely due to Hungary’s significant increase in agricultural exports to the Philippines. He added that Hungarian companies are undertaking major water management projects in the Philippines, and preparations are being made to start nuclear cooperation between the two countries, as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.

Read also:

• Everything you need to know about guest workers in Hungary – Read here
• Are foreign workers really better than Hungarian employees?