Asian guest workers are flocking to Hungary
The Hungarian government also supports Asian guest workers to ease labour shortages. More and more Asian guest workers are arriving in Hungary, while the anti-migration propaganda is booming.
According to G7.hu, although the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the increment of the number of foreign workers and immigrants arriving in Hungary, their overall numbers have been rising at an astonishing rate in recent years. Meanwhile, the composition of guest workers working in Hungary is also changing rapidly.
It seems that the “migrant propaganda” is just a sham, as the portal writes, a communication stunt. In fact, the Hungarian government has entered the global race for Asian labour, perhaps best illustrated by a decree that came into force last September to encourage large numbers of workers from the Far East.
Countries from where workers are coming
The news portal also adds that recently, more and more workers from India, Vietnam and the Philippines have been arriving in Hungary.
As we can read in Napi.hu’s article, in recent years, the National Employment Service (Nemzeti Foglalkoztatási Szolgálat, NFSZ) has published annual summaries on the subject, which show that the number of foreigners working in Hungary increased significantly between 2015 and 2020:
from almost 17,000 in 2015 and 2016, the figure was close to 70,000 in 2019, and then fell to just over 36,000 in 2020, but this may already include the impact of the pandemic.
If we put the annual reports side by side, we can see that workers are arriving in Hungary from more and more countries. For example, in 2020, 131 Syrians, 194 Pakistanis, 208 Nigerians, 426 Filipinos and 630 Moldovans were granted work permits. However, Vietnam tops this list with 5140 workers, almost 2,000 more than China in second place and about double the number of South Korea in third place.
Qualifications
According to G7.hu, 45% of those working in casual employment do simple, unskilled work.
About half of them have a primary school education and 18% have a vocational secondary school education. Just over 40% are in administrative and service support jobs, and 13% work in the construction sector.
The number and proportion of migrant workers from within the EU have fallen, while the number and proportion of migrant workers from Asia, including Vietnam, South Korea and India, have increased in recent years, and even the arrival of large numbers of Ukrainian migrant workers did not change this.
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Source: G7.hu, Napi.hu
4 Comments
In the interest of the FUTURE of Hungary – may they remain being “Guest Workers” – and on the expiry of there “Guest Worker” Visa – they leave Hungary.
Linguistically – be interesting the way COMMUNICATION – is conducted with these “Guest Workers”.
Hungary – the NEW – Silk Road – of the East meeting the West – lots of ROBUST discussions on this subject – RIGHTFULLY.
“Flocking” – Asian Guest Workers – who is paying there Air Fares – Accommodation costs ???
I think that you’ll find that the guest workers all speak English to some degree, especially those from India and China whilst most middle managers and above in Hungary also speak English to some degree so communication is not a big problem. In fact, in many firms, proficiency in the English language is now required for all new recruits at a certain job title and above. This is not a phenomenon restricted to countries like Hungary or The Netherlands where the native language is not used elsewhere, but also in countries like Germany and Russia,
“I think you”ll find all guest workers speak English to some degree”.
This opinion open’s – a MASSIVE Pandoras Box – in Budapest, Hungary.
I think your opinion – across a broad, wide and expansive spectrum of the Work force in Budapest, Hungary – across ALL levels and Professions – appear too “Book” read and – NOT out there enough in the wider world of the Districts of Budapest.
My life in Academia – Professor of Law – that is conducted 100% in English – but students are International incorporated into Hungarian students – the ABILITY to Read, Write & understand English – is Appalling.
This has been the case in my 5 years in Budapest, Hungary.
This “Self-Belief” – that I have competent bilingual understaning of English by Hungarians and “Guest Workers” – people from all “Stations in Life” in Hungary and Internationally – is quite a Fantasy or a Figment of there Imagination.
My experience is BROAD – in Budapest, Hungary getting out there and amongst PEOPLE – not just sitting in my house in District V – but numbers of the Districts of Budapest, which there are (23) twenty three – that provides in my position meeting people continuously – Hungarians – the “Up the Ladder” type – that the “Self-Belief” – of English in word usage – they BELIEVE they have – personally – I would be embarrassed to include it on my CV.