Increasing Number of Hungarians Seek Employment Abroad for Better Pay
The most popular destinations are Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
From just 7% in 2018, the proportion of Hungarians actively seeking work abroad has risen to 15% by 2023, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Profession.hu.
The research, which involved more than 150,000 workers from 188 countries between October and December of the previous year, found that globally, 23% of workers are looking for jobs abroad. The most sought-after destinations include Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, with cities like London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and New York leading the preferences. Hungarians, in particular, favor working in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
For those considering working abroad, financial and economic reasons are the primary motivations: 76% of Hungarians (compared to 64% globally) cited this as their main reason. Additionally, the prospect of a better quality of life motivates 72% of Hungarians (and 55% globally) to consider working overseas.
In Hungary, students show the greatest interest in working abroad, followed by one-third of public sector workers, and one-quarter of those in the IT sector.
The study also explored the reasons behind reluctance to work abroad. Amongst Hungarians, the main deterrent was the inability to relocate with family members. Thirty-seven percent cited a strong attachment to their homeland as the reason for staying, while 43% mentioned the lack of language skills as a barrier.