Few expected this: Viktor Orbán promised a salary increase to almost one hundred thousand people

Although the OSC labor force survey does not show a clear trend in the development of public employees in recent months, the Interior Ministry report highlights characteristic trends. The number of public employees this year was different than in previous years. In previous years, including 2019, the number of employees increased in the months following the March program launch, then began to slowly decline in the summer months. This year, however, the decline has been delayed.

“The effects of the pandemic crisis on the labor market increased the number of registered job applicants during the spring, so in response to the decrease in demand in the primary labor market, it was necessary to provide capacity in public employment if someone I could only work this way, “he writes. Analysis of the Ministry of the Interior. Although there have been no additional demands for public employment so far, a slow increase has begun, as evidenced by the fact that the number of new entrants in both June (2,000) and July (3,000) exceeded the previous year. Compared to the low point in the spring, the number of civil servants increased by a total of 9,000.

As early as early May, there was an additional allocation for county government offices for longer-term public employment, allowing them to respond more flexibly to needs. Government agencies have launched new programs in collaboration with public employers.

Thus, the allocation of 140,000 million HUF was allocated practically 100% to support the different programs at the end of July, so the Ministry began to increase the allocation.

– It can be read in the material of the Ministry of the Interior.

The monthly average of people employed in public employment was 93 thousand in July, which increased by 3.1 percent compared to the previous month, but decreased by 10 percent compared to July of the previous year. 99,000 people participated in one of the three types of programs.

In July, according to the place where the public employment contract was signed, the monthly average of participants was the highest in the counties of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (19.5 thousand people) and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén (19.0 thousand people). In terms of public employment, the third largest county was Hajdú-Bihar (8.2 thousand people).

The new programs:

• In June and July 2020, a total of 1,167 new longer-term public employment contracts were concluded, launching new programs to support the employment of more than 8,000 people. The largest number of long-term programs was supported by Nyíregyháza (Nyíregyháza Városüzemeltető Nonprofit Kft. – 255 people) and the Government Office of the capital city of Budapest (250 people), which are still filling up.
• In the national public employment service, 73 new programs were launched in July, in which 2.3 thousand people can be supported. Among other things, the National Parks programs relaunched the programs, in addition to the fact that the water directorates, MÁV, the General Directorate of Social Opportunities and the Hungarian National Museum pledged to employ other larger numbers.
• In addition, government agencies are paying special attention to supporting employment in the 100 settlements affected by the economic recovery program and in the 70 settlements affected by the recovery program.

Viktor Orbán promised yesterday that the income of public employees will increase next year. In the case of filling a job that does not require a professional qualification and secondary education and fulfilling a full-time job, the monthly salary of public employees has been HUF 81,530 since 2017, and has not increased since then.

While it is clear that the role of somewhat forgotten public works in the coronavirus crisis has once again increased, it still does not play a significant role in managing changes in the labor market. The number of employees temporarily declined by hundreds of thousands in Hungary in the spring, but tens of thousands found work in the primary labor market in the summer (partly due to seasonal effects and partly due to the economic recovery), compared with changes in public works.

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