The Hungarian authorities plan to introduce stricter rules towards illegal foreign workers within the country.
Such a decision came after many false work permits were detected in Hungary’s county Hajdú-Bihar, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
Local authorities of Hajdú-Bihar reported to the police the irregular employment of some third-country citizens involving falsifying official documents. Such an offence is punishable by a three-year sentence, as reported by About Hungary, a website managed by the Hungarian Prime Minister’s international communication office.
In addition to these measures against irregular foreign employment, Hungarian authorities have recently introduced more stringent immigration rules.
This implies that Hungarian citizens will be given priority regarding employment within the country. Meanwhile, foreign nationals can get a particular job only if a Hungarian citizen cannot fill it, as noted by the Hungarian Ministry for National Economy.
The government protects Hungarian families and Hungarian workplaces, therefore, according to the legislation, the employment of foreign workers can only take place if the vacancies can no longer be filled with Hungarian workers.
‘The Hungarian Workforce Comes First’ – Authorities Exclud Foreign Workers From Nearly 300 Jobs
For two decades now, the number of third-country workers in Hungary has been regulated by a quota based on the average number of job vacancies for the previous four quarters.
Data from the country’s Central Statistical Office indicates the maximum value of the quota could be 81,000 this year. However, authorities decided to lower the limit of the quota at 65,000.
Keeping in mind the protection of Hungarian jobs, the government decided to set the upper limit of the quota at 65,000, which is significantly lower than the theoretical maximum in 2024.
Furthermore, the Hungarian government has introduced a list containing 300 jobs for which a guest worker residence permit will not be granted. Following this decision, citizens of third countries holding temporary work permits are excluded from those jobs.
Some of these occupations include roofer, industrial alpinist, tool maker, cultural organiser, legal assistant, photographer, grape and fruit grower, and lift mechanic.
The list further ensures that foreign workers cannot take jobs away from Hungarians in any instance.
The Hungarian workforce comes first, which is why the Parliament adopted a stricter immigration law than ever before.
Last year, Hungarian authorities issued 39,000 work permits, all subject to rigorous immigration controls, as noted by the ministry. Meanwhile, in recent years, the number of third-country workers in Hungary has remained the maximum value.
Currently, over 4.7 million are employed in Hungary, while authorities noted a record-low number of registered job seekers.
