GKI: Do we need 500,000 guest workers?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2023. 09. 18. 23:59

In a previous speech, the Prime Minister identified bringing 500,000 guest workers to Hungary as a real need. This was established by the parliament with various laws, which made it easier to import guest workers, and the range of sending countries became wider. Their first contingent (10,000 Philippine workers and 600 Indian truck drivers) is expected to arrive this year. In the meantime, housing parks and container cities are being built for the new arrivals. The social effects of this, especially in the settlements where they arrive in greater numbers, are not the subject of our present analysis.

The main question is: is there really a need for so many guest workers (especially the previous anti-migrant campaign is worth recalling: they lose jobs, they need to be helped, many of them are criminals, etc.), or can this be solved with domestic resources as well. For this, it is worth looking at the KSH data! According to this, in 2022 there were 284,000 potential labor force reserves (real unemployed) in our country. They would work, but they need more or less help to get to work. In addition, nearly 1,300,000 people were economically inactive (educated, chronically ill, etc.). Some of them are actually already working today (e.g. university/college students in addition to studying, students during the summer holidays). In other words, domestic sources could provide a significant part of the missing labor force, and moreover, their earnings would remain at home, strengthening the domestic economy.