Rising costs and labour shortages drive Hungarian agriculture to hire Filipino guest workers
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Hungary’s agricultural sector is increasingly turning to Filipino guest workers to address escalating labour costs and domestic workforce shortages. This shift is largely due to recent policy changes and economic pressures affecting seasonal employment.
Escalating costs impact seasonal work
According to Haszon, as of 1 February 2025, the daily public charges for agricultural seasonal work in Hungary have risen significantly—from HUF 1,300 (EUR 3.2) to 2,200 (EUR 5.4) for seasonal work and from HUF 2,700 (EUR 6.63) to 4,400 (EUR 10.8) for occasional employment. This increase, coupled with higher wage demands, has led to a substantial rise in labour costs.
According to FruitVeb, the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organisation, wage expenses per hectare have surged by HUF 100,000 to 600,000 (EUR 246 to 1474), depending on the type of crop and the level of mechanisation.
These financial strains have made it increasingly difficult for producers to hire local workers. In some regions, daily wages for seasonal labourers have reached up to HUF 18,000 (EUR 44), yet employers still struggle to find reliable workers. Sándor Nagypéter, president of the South Great Plain Gardeners’ Cooperative (Dél-alföldi Kertészek Szövetkezete),
notes that Filipino guest workers are often more dependable, as they consistently show up for work, unlike some local labourers who may be absent without notice.
This reliability makes employing Filipinos worthwhile, even with the higher administrative burdens involved.
Policy shifts favour select foreign workers
In response to these challenges, the Hungarian government has implemented new regulations. Effective 1 January 2025, only nationals from Georgia, Armenia, and the Philippines are eligible for guest worker and employment residence permits under Government Decree No. 450/2024. This policy aims to control the influx of foreign workers while addressing labour shortages in critical sectors.
Filipinos are wonderful people and if we need to import laborers, we could do a whole lot worse than Filipinos.
But why do we “need” to do this?
Because we have been consistently encouraging Hungarians, especially the young ones, that living in a big city, having an office job, being “independent” (of the family and responsibility such as marriage and kids), and spending hours mindlessly scrolling through the phone is the pinnacle of achievement and personal fulfillment.
It’s not, and it’s almost past the time to start providing the antidote to this decadent poison.