Several companies in great need of guest workers shocked by Orbán cabinet’s ban proposal – UPDATED

The Orbán cabinet may decide about the total ban on employing third-country guest workers in Hungary from 1 January. The news shocked several sectors in Hungary, especially the catering and the home delivery sector which are struggling with the lack of workforce. The Hungarian government may decide on a total ban due to domestic reasons. However, even the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s head says the government should not move so urgently on such a delicate issue.

Immigrants take the work from the Hungarians, said Orbán’s Fidesz

The Orbán cabinet has been one of the greatest advocates of stopping illegal migration to Europe from the Middle East and Africa. In the previous decade, the prime minister and his Fidesz party accepted harsh rules against illegal migrants, built a fence at the Southern borders and allied with European and North American forces that are against migration.

In 2015, they started a billboard campaign saying that migrants take the work from Hungarians, so they should be stopped before entering the country. The campaign was successful, but rural Fidesz leaders active in the electoral districts and mayors see changes in the issue locally.

Some were complaining about the growing number of legal migrants who come to Hungary to work here for 2+1 years and “take the work from the locals”. Of course, the second part of the statement is factually untrue. The Hungarian economy could employ tens of thousands because it struggles with a structural labour shortage. Others were complaining about the possible security challenges the newcomers generated.

Read also: Shocking proposal: Hungary plans ban on non-EU guest workers starting 1 January

Fidesz grassroots complained about the guest workers

However, optics are crucial for the government and its communication. Based on a 2023 poll by Publicus, 53% of Fidesz voters disapprove of the influx of guest workers. Their support is essential in 2026 when Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party has a realistic chance to defeat Orbán.

PM Orbán heard the complaints from Fidesz grassroots and seems to have decided to act. Based on a previous report, the government may decide on the issue next Wednesday, so the sectors affected and somewhat paralysed by the news do not have much time to act.

According to g7.hu, only a fraction of the number of 2023 guest workers came this year. However, for example, in the catering sector, firms close one after the other because there are no employees for the night and weekend shifts. Orbán promised significant economic growth for next year, which is also hard to imagine without a new workforce, József Nógrádi, trade director of the Trenkwalder group, said.

Will the ban be postponed?

Therefore, lobbying started to postpone the effect of the new measure for at least six months.

We know the government would not like to ban the Georgian workforce, but they will not be enough to fill the gaps in the Hungarian labour market. Others lobby to exempt the Philippines, criticising Vietnamese, who – after acquiring their permit – go to Germany to receive higher salaries.

The new head of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also surprised to hear about the government proposal. When he replaced government-close László Parragh, he said he agreed to a new cooperation framework, which means they can take part in the drafting process of new measures from the beginning. However, this time, nobody asked for their opinion.

Georgia is not enough

Elek Nagy said the government wants to make agreements with the home countries of the guest workers about taking them back if needed. Hungary had such a contract only with Georgia, which is the reason for the Caucasian country’s exemption.

Nagy believes the Hungarian reserves are not enough to satisfy the needs of the economy. Meanwhile, Georgia’s population is just 3.5 million, while the Philippines has almost 120 million inhabitants. Consequently, signing new treaties with more populous countries is crucial.

Experts believe a ban would not immediately have a devastating effect because most guest workers can remain here for months or even 1-2 years.

Interestingly, other Central and Eastern European countries try to ease the employment of guest workers.

The number of third-country employees in Hungary stays around 70-80 thousand, but the growth in their number is constant. Between 2019 and 2024, for example, that number increased from 60 thousand to almost 100 thousand.

UPDATE: Hungary committed to contributing to efforts aimed at stopping migration

Hungary is committed to continuing its contribution to the success of international ambitions aiming at stopping illegal migration and tackle its root causes, the foreign minister said in New York on Thursday.

The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó as telling the United Nations General Assembly session focusing on migration that it was not an exaggeration to say that we are living in an era of dangers and as an impact under the threat of terror and extremist ideologies, there are more and more people in the world who are forced to leave their homes. In the last ten years, more than 120 million people became migrants, refugees, IDPs, he added.

“In this very complicated situation I think there are two very important aspects we do have to take into consideration. First, international law must be respected. With this we can avoid additional massive migratory waves to break out putting the security and safety of countries at risk. And on the other hand, instead of managing or inspiring migration, we should work on tackling the root causes,” the minister said.

“International law makes a very very clear difference between migrants and refugees. Unfortunately nowadays the expression and legal status of refugees is being misused, which is a very dangerous phenomenon. International law speaks very clearly: if someone is forced to leave his or her home, he or she is entitled to stay on the territory of the first safe country. And international law doesn’t speak about second, fifth, tenth or twentieth safe country,” he added.

“Therefore, violation of a border between two safe countries must not be taken into consideration as a human rights issue, but as a security issue and as a crime,” he said.

“Hungary’s example is the real one here, we have been under a double pressure by migration and the refugees for the last ten years. On one hand we have been living for more than a 1,000 days in the neighbourhood of the war in Ukraine from where we have received 1.4 million refugees. They have full access to our schools, kindergartens, health care, and to the labour market. We have been carrying out the biggest ever humanitarian operation of our country. We let everybody come in from Ukraine who are fleeing from the war because for them we are the first safe country. But at our southern border we are under a huge migratory pressure. There we are protesting the external border of the European Union laid on the busiest land route. During the last 3.5 years we have stopped more than half a million illegal migrants.

Hungary remains committed to protecting its borders and remain maintaining its sovereign right to make a decision on who can enter our country and with whom we are ready to live together, said the minister.

He said that “in the meantime, we give all our support to those who are fleeing from the war in Ukraine. And we support all kinds of initiatives which are pointed at peace being made in our neighbourhood, which is the only way to save lives of the people, ending suffering of the families, and stop forcing people to leave their homes.”

But in the meantime, inspiring people to leave their homes brings forward many risks on countries of transit and destination puts the lives of people who are leaving their homes at risk on many occasions and feeds the business model of smugglers and traffickers. So instead of inspiring people to leave their homes, we do have to stop migration by tackling the root causes on the spot. We have to carry out development programmes, by those creating new jobs, creating better education, and better access to health care where it is needed.

Over the last five years, Hungary has spent some 2 billion euros on development assistance focusing on humanitarian help, especially to the Christian communities who are among the most persecuted communities in many parts of the world., the minister noted.

“Hungary is committed to continue to contribute to the success of international ambitions aiming at stopping migration, tackling the root causes and carrying out development programmes in all parts of the world to make the lives of people better where they have been living,” he said.

Read also:

• The influx of guest workers in Hungary decreased significantly this year
• Tax benefits change, 3rd-country guest workers will earn less in 2025 in Hungary!