Czomba: Foreign workers getting jobs only if needed

Hungarians must get employment as long as domestic jobs can be taken by them, Sandor Czomba, state secretary for employment policy at the economic development ministry, said.

Under existing rules, employees from abroad may still have a residence permit once their employment contract has terminated, and the new rules will tighten this loophole, he added.

He said Hungary’s jobs figures were among the best in the EU, and everyone could find a job in the country sooner or later.

Employers, Czomba said, were keen to retain their workforces, while one-time inactive people were also starting to appear on the labour market in higher numbers.

It was likely, he added, that employers and employees would soon agree on hiking the basic minimum wage and the minimum wage for skilled workers next year, and the gap between the two categories may steadily disappear over time.