Hungary Records Third Lowest Underemployment Rate in EU

In the first quarter of 2025, only 22,800 people were underemployed (part-time workers who would like to work full-time but are unable to do so) in Hungary, making it the third lowest figure in the EU, the Minister for National Economy announced in a social media post sharing Eurostat labor market statistics. Márton Nagy believes this is the result of Hungary’s work-based economic policy.

“In Hungary, anyone who wants to work can work! This is also supported by the fact that underemployment in our country was the third lowest among EU member states,” wrote Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy in a Sunday Facebook post.

Eurostat’s labor market survey also includes workers who would like to work full-time but are unable to do so, and therefore can only find part-time employment. These individuals are classified as underemployed in the statistics, the minister explained.

In Hungary, in the first quarter of 2025, 22,800 people—just 0.5% of the employed population—were underemployed. This was the third lowest figure in the EU, following Bulgaria (0.3%) and the Czech Republic (0.4%), and was equal to the figure recorded in Slovakia,

wrote the politician.

The EU average during the same period was 2.7%, meaning that proportionally, five times as many people are underemployed across the Union. Other countries in the region also reported higher underemployment than Hungary: in Poland, 0.9% of the employed population was underemployed, in Romania 1.0%, and in Germany 1.2%, despite their desire to work full-time.

On a year-on-year basis, Hungary even managed to reduce underemployment, in contrast to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, where it increased, and Poland and Germany, where it remained unchanged compared to the previous year.

The labor market situation of women is typically considered worse than that of men, but regarding underemployment data, there is no significant difference between the sexes in Hungary. In fact, the situation has improved compared to a year ago. In contrast, in Romania, underemployment was higher among men, while in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and the EU as a whole, women were more affected.

Hungary’s employment level is among the highest in Europe, stressed the politician:

Since 2010, one million more people are working—over 4.7 million in total—while the average wage has more than tripled and the minimum wage has quadrupled.”

Minister Nagy added that wages are increasingly valuable, as real wages have been continuously rising for over a year and a half, providing Hungarian families with greater financial flexibility.

He emphasized that achieving full employment is supported by the Youth Guarantee Plus program that targets inactive individuals and those under 30, as well as another EU-funded program aimed at supporting people over 30. Through these initiatives, job seekers receive wage subsidies as well as housing and travel allowances. So far, over 48,000 registered job seekers have found employment through these programs, backed by more than 56 billion forints (142 million euros) in EU funding, he noted.

Featured image: Pexels

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