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More than 200 employers evaluated the performance of the guest workers in Hungary in a research conducted with the cooperation of six Hungarian universities and one foreign higher education institution, and the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK). Most employers have a positive attitude towards guest workers and believe that foreign workers work well. However, they denied news that guest workers are cheaper than their Hungarian colleagues.
Lots of guest workers in Hungary
Based on the research, the number of foreign nationals working in Hungary is more than 100 thousand. Almost 40% no longer come from neighbouring countries which have large Hungarian communities (Transcarpathia in Ukraine and Vojvodina in Serbia) but from other third countries (no EEC members).
Dr Szilvia Szabó, a department head at the Budapest Metropolitan University, said the number of guest workers is high in the manufacturing, public administration, retail and construction sectors. Only 24.1% of the employers are strategic or qualified investors, which means employing guest workers is not fully linked to big enterprises. Companies employing guest workers operate as ordinary enterprises, which do not enjoy special economic or regulatory discounts, HR Portal wrote.
Guest workers work jobs that Hungarians would not like to. Illustration. Photo: depositphotos.com
Dr Márta Szombathelyi Dr Konczosné from the Széchenyi István University said employers find guest workers with the help of foreign and Hungarian agencies or on digital platforms. Typically, they employ guest workers for a longer term, usually for at least 3 years. Most responders offer competitive wages to the guest workers and differentiate according to professional experience and education. Furthermore, they pay accommodation and travel allowances for their guest workers and provide opportunities for them to learn Hungarian.
Positive attitudes towards guest workers in Hungary
Concerning the attitudes of Hungarian employers towards guest workers, the balance is positive. They regard foreign workers as diligent and committed. The workers can learn their tasks quickly and carry them out honestly and reliably. The majority disagreed that foreign staff are cheaper than Hungarian, with 1/3rd of them saying that employing guest workers was rather expensive.
Photo: depositphotos.com
Dr Szilárd Malatyinszki from the Kodolányi János University said guest workers are concentrated in four sectors in Hungary: construction, manufacturing industry, agriculture and services (catering, logistics). Cultural differences and the language barrier are the most significant barriers to their integration. He highlighted that the main reasons behind employing foreign staff are not the labour shortage, but the cheaper employment, quick learning and the fact that they can be given jobs that Hungarians tend not to accept.
Dr Krisztina Dajnoki from the University of Debrecen said employers agreed they should provide equal working conditions for their Hungarian and foreign employees and implement impartial and non-discriminatory treatment for all their guest workers.
A lot of guest workers are hired in the Hungarian dairy industry. Photo: depositphotos.com
Equal opportunities?
Respondent enterprises said Hungarian healthcare institutions reduce the occurrence of contagious diseases. They also said that they help each of their guest workers to understand their contract. Furthermore, they said trade unions developed a positive attitude towards foreign employees.
Dr Péter Karácsony, a university teacher at Óbuda University, said that enterprises should deal with many potential cultural, political, and social conflicts when hiring guest workers. Arnold Tóth from the Budapest University of Economics and Business said most company owners experienced a labour shortage after 2020. Among the reasons they listed are the low salaries, the workforce drain of their competitors and the lack of an educated workforce.
Dr Imola Papp Csehné from ELTE University Budapest said the labour market has become globalised in the last few years and it is a task for Hungary to deal with problems caused by migration.
Read also:
- Hundreds of Hungarian citizenships have been withdrawn: how and who can strip you of citizenship? – read more HERE
- Where do Hungary’s wages stand in the European Union? – details in THIS article
Featured image: depositphotos.com
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