More than half of the jobs to be filled require language skills

When starting school, but often also as an adult, a decisive decision is which foreign language to start learning. One of the most important aspects of this is which knowledge Hungarian employers expect most often. A recent survey by Profession.hu examining the value of language skills in the labor market shows that German is barely behind English.

German knowledge is increasingly important

In job advertisements requiring language skills, companies continue to expect English language skills the most, but in the past few years there has been an increasing demand for German as well. While 57 percent of job openings requiring language skills published in 2023 required English and only 32 percent included a criterion for German knowledge, since 2024 the former ratio has decreased to 48.3 percent and the latter has increased to 41.8 percent.

“The automotive industry is one of the driving sectors of the Hungarian economy, in which German manufacturers and the supplier networks serving them play a prominent role as employers. This is why the demand for German language skills has increased in the labor market in recent years. In addition, Hungarian workers who emigrate to Austria and then return from there form a significant group of employees, on whom many employers rely,”

– said Nikoletta Szigeti, Business Unit Manager at Profession Services.

French is the third and Italian the fourth most sought-after foreign language on the Hungarian job market, but compared to the above, they account for a much smaller share of job advertisements requiring language skills: the former accounts for 0.6 percent and the latter for 0.3 percent.