Everything you need to know about guest workers in Hungary
On the 10th of May, a conference was held addressing the growing impact of guest workers in Hungary. This professional gathering offered an excellent opportunity to learn about legislative changes and the practical experiences of recruitment companies and employers. Here is everything you need to know about guest workers in Hungary: the growing need, the protection of Hungarian workers, stricter legislation and more.
Growing need for guest workers in Hungary
Turizmus.com reports a rising demand for guest workers in Hungary. Ferenc Rolek, Vice President of the National Confederation of Hungarian Employers and Industrialists (MGYOSZ), pointed out that demographic trends are reducing the number of available workers in both Europe and Hungary, with no expected change for the next 20-25 years. All EU countries face this issue and are seeking high-quality foreign labour. Many Hungarians will continue working abroad due to income disparities, making Hungary increasingly dependent on foreign labour.
Protection of the Hungarian workforce
Ferenc Rolek highlighted the complexity and socio-political aspects of the new legislative framework. Legislators aimed to ensure that the new law clearly states that guest workers are to be employed for a limited period under controlled conditions to protect Hungarian workers.
Third-country nationals from 15 countries (including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Brazil, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Montenegro, Vietnam, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, the Philippines and North Macedonia) can come to Hungary as guest workers with a simplified group permit. However, the list of around 300 occupations where third-country nationals cannot work as guest workers has been updated.
Strict legislation
Under the new legislation on aliens, the process for obtaining a residence permit for employment purposes remains the same, taking at least 70 days and requiring proof that no Hungarian workers are available for the job. Despite this, the rejection rate for applications is high, at around 40-50%.
The government prioritises guest worker residence permits, limiting the number of companies, countries, and jobs involved, and imposing strict controls. Employers who fail to comply with these obligations face heavy fines.
Highly skilled workers to come
One of the conference speakers highlighted the challenge of fluctuating income outflows and the pressure on employers to recruit during peak seasons, suggesting that labour should be priced flexibly. He noted that internal fairness is often sacrificed during these periods to maintain external competitiveness, with emergency hires receiving higher wages. He views employing third-country workers as a temporary solution to this issue and anticipates that guest workers in Hungary will eventually fill senior positions.
Others shared this view, expressing confidence in attracting more highly qualified professionals from third countries within 4-5 years. They emphasised that guest workers are well-suited for positions that cannot be filled domestically.
Read also:
- Foreign workers needed to save Hungarian agriculture?
- Lake Balaton forecast: guest workers to ease labour shortage, relatively low price increase
Featured image: depositphotos.com
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