On April 7, AmCham Hungary hosted a Business Forum with Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér, addressing three pivotal areas: the employment of third-country nationals, education and healthcare.
Employment of Third-Country Nationals
Minister Pintér outlined the government’s strategy for employing third-country nationals, with a focus on protecting Hungarian workers, mitigating labor shortages, and boosting overall productivity.
Hungary currently applies a 35,000-person quota for third-country guest-workers entering the country. Our member companies are also concerned in the EU Blue Card with a minimum wage set by law and the Hungarian Card, for occupations that require specific higher-level professional qualification. Hungary also has partnerships with eight countries, allowing simplified employment processes without a fixed duration. To ensure better alignment with business needs, the Ministry expressed openness to continued dialogue with AmCham.
Education
During the discussion, the Minister shared updates on ongoing reforms in education. There are approximately 143,000 teachers currently employed in Hungary, with a national average of 10 students per teacher. Despite existing challenges—such as the limited appeal of the profession, and uneven distribution of teachers—the government is gradually increasing teacher salaries to enhance the profession’s attractiveness. Following a 32.2% rise in 2023, an additional increase is planned with the goal of reaching 80% of the average graduate salary. Special funds are being allocated to help underdeveloped regions catch up.
Healthcare
The Minister outlined several priorities in the healthcare sector. A key objective is to reduce waiting lists particularly in critical areas. The government also plans to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to better utilize healthcare data and improve efficiency across the system. Another important focus is settling hospital debts aiming to improve financial stability and operational continuity across healthcare institutions.
These three focus areas—education, healthcare, and workforce—clearly reflect the interests of our community and will remain central to our advocacy work, including the development of our upcoming Policy Agenda 2026–2030.
AmCham welcomes the government’s efforts to streamline procedures regarding the employment of third-country nationals, as the involvement of international talent has become increasingly important due to the simultaneous presence of labor shortages and skills gaps in certain sectors. We consider that the employment of international labor supports access to a competitive workforce—an essential factor for Hungarian businesses to sustain performance and enhance growth. We count on continued cooperation and dialogue to further simplify processes and support long-term business competitiveness.
Regarding education, the evolving economy continues to increase the demand for soft skills such as adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving. In this context, while we acknowledge the government’s commitment to reform, we encourage further progress toward a modern, skills-based education system that better prepares students for the realities of the labor market. Our 2024–2025 Recommendation Package outlines this vision in more detail.
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