Hundreds of Foreign 'Guest Workers' Arrive in Hungary Every Month
- 23 Jun 2023 11:30 AM
- Hungary Around the Clock
Between 500 and 1,000 foreign workers, mostly blue-collar, arrive in Hungary every month, CEO Dávid Maier of recruiting company Trendo told business news website Napi.
It is difficult to say exactly how many there are in total in the country, he added, but there may be around 80,000-90,000 foreign workers, up from 50,000 in 2019.
In particular, the number of workers coming from outside the EU has increased, including workers from the Philippines, Vietnam, India and Mongolia.
The assumption that Asian labour is cheap is erroneous, Maier said, as it usually costs more to employ them than to hire a Hungarian worker.
However, if companies cannot fulfil their contractual commitments, then the fine often exceeds the costs of bringing in employees from outside Hungary, said Maier.
In addition, he continued, the labour shortage often endangers the safe operation of domestic enterprises, which puts the jobs of domestic workers at risk.
It seems that the trend will not change, as there will be a need for foreign workers in Hungary in the coming years as well, he concluded.
XpatLoop Media Partner
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