Hungary to Limit Guest Worker Program to 35,000 Participants in 2025

Hungary to Limit Guest Worker Program to 35,000 Participants in 2025

Key Takeaways

  1. Hungary will limit the number of guest worker and employment-related residence permits to 35,000 in 2025.
  2. The Ministry of National Economy states that this decision is part of efforts to safeguard Hungarian jobs and families.
  3. The 2024 cap for guest workers was set at 65,000.

In 2025, Hungary will reduce the number of guest worker and employment-related residence permits to 35,000, down from 65,000 in 2024.

The Hungarian Ministry of National Economy confirmed that this decision is aimed at protecting jobs and families in Hungary.

“Hungary belongs to Hungarians; it will neither become a guest worker nor a migrant country. Therefore, temporary residence and employment are only possible under legal conditions set by the Hungarian state, and only if the state deems it appropriate,” said the Ministry of National Economy.

The Ministry also emphasized that foreign workers can only be employed if positions cannot be filled by Hungarian citizens.

For over two decades, Hungary has regulated the number of foreign workers allowed in the country through a quota system. This quota is based on the average number of vacancies over the previous four quarters.

According to Index Hungary, the Ministry of National Economy’s decision to tighten regulations aims to protect Hungary’s labor market and families. The new cap for 2025 will be set at 35,000 guest worker and employment-related residence permits.

Stricter Rules for Guest Workers
In September 2024, the Hungarian government introduced new proposals, including stricter regulations for guest workers, to ensure that job vacancies are filled by local residents first.

Employers will need to prove they have been unable to find suitable Hungarian workers before hiring foreigners.

As part of these changes, private recruitment agencies will be banned from hiring workers from outside the EU.

For 2024, Hungary had set the cap for guest workers at 65,000 and allowed foreign workers from 15 countries, including North Macedonia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

The new immigration law, which came into effect on January 1, 2024, includes guest worker rules scheduled to be implemented on July 1, 2024.

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