Hungary Employment Trends

U.S. companies that wish to establish a local presence and seek job-market related information may be interested in learning that the demand for skilled workers and gross wages are on the rise in Hungary and economic recovery in Hungary has led to a 61% increase in jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers in the first eight months of 2021.

The surveyed wage expectation of blue-collar workers in Hungary is increasing and job seekers expect to receive an average net wage of HUF 233,000 monthly (USD 800) which is 7% more than a year earlier. Unskilled workers expect to earn slightly less, HUF 213,000 (USD 700).

The average monthly gross salary may hit HUF 490,000 (USD 1,550) at the end of 2021, while it could reach HUF 500,000 (USD 1,600) by June 2022. This would include non-wage benefits and extra payments.  The average monthly salaries already exceed HUF 500,000 (USD 1,600) in the financial, IT and energy sectors (source: Central Statistical Office).  

In 2022 the healthcare sector could catch up with higher-paid sectors because of an upcoming 21% wage increase.  The pandemic has shifted focus on the key role of healthcare sector workers, who received an 8% wage increase in 2019 and 14 and 20% increases in 2020.  This has resulted in an average monthly gross salary of HUF 374,000 (USD 1,206).  On average, 2.2% of total EU employment consists of nurses and midwives; Germany leads with 3.5%, while Hungary is at 1.3%. 

Social care workers at state, local government or church-run institutions will be entitled to a 20% wage increase from January 2022, which will result in an average monthly wage of HUF 370,000 (USD 1,200).

There are still huge regional disparities, as people working in and around Budapest earn twice as much as employees in Hungary’s less-developed eastern region and smaller settlements. 
For additional information, please contact: Csilla Viragos, Commercial Specialist at csilla.viragos@trade.gov