This is how Ukrainian refugees can work in Hungary

Ukrainian refugees do not come to Hungary primarily for work. However, the opportunity to earn a living can help them get through this difficult period.

Ukrainian workers in Hungary

Csongor Juhász, CEO of Prohuman talked to vg.hu about the ways Ukrainian people could effectively survive the war period in Hungary. He believes that finding employment in Hungary would be beneficial for them for a number of reasons. It would not require them to travel far away from their home besides they would be able to start working almost immediately.

“In the last few weeks, we have already registered more than a thousand people who were interested. We are in the process of organising their placement and employment,”

said Csongor Juhász. However, Zoltán Karácsony, HR Portal’s job market expert, believes that we are still at the beginning of the process. So far, the recruitment of Ukrainian workers has not been proven particularly successful. There are several reasons behind this. According to the expert, one of the main reasons is that recruitment agencies used to employ special screening to find workers for different positions. In the case of Ukrainian refugees, this is a much more difficult and time-consuming task.

It is in the common interest that Ukrainian refugees be able to leave behind the horrid camp conditions, find decent accommodation and earn a living.

Csongor Juhász pointed out that since the outbreak of the war, there has been a helpline set up for Ukrainian refugees. People in need can acquire information and assistance at border stations and in Budapest as well. Assistance includes administration, travel and accommodation.

• Over 10,000 refugees arrive from Ukraine to Hungary on Sunday

There is hope at the end of the tunnel

Among the thousands of refugees, naturally, there are many women with children. In these cases, the women cannot find employment until childcare is not taken care of.

Some families arrive in Hungary with barely any clothes, no knowledge of a foreign language and without any Hungarian connections.

In the past, large groups of workers would come from Ukraine to work in manufacturing or production. According to Juhász, these are still the most popular sectors. It is fortunate because this is where the greatest need for labour is.

Construction, hospitality and tourism are also popular sectors.

Jobtain’s managing director, Magdolna Mihályi says that each week they help hundreds of people find work. Thanks to a change in the Hungarian Government’s regulation, the time needed to obtain a humanitarian residence permit has been significantly reduced. In addition, hrportal.hu reports that employers can apply for a subsidy when hiring Ukrainian workers.

Read also: This is why refugees are returning from Budapest to Ukraine in large numbers