Government Maintains 35,000 Guest Worker Quota for 2026

The quota for guest workers has been set at 35,000 for 2026 as well, announced the Ministry for National Economy on Tuesday. It was emphasized that the Hungarian workforce remains the government’s top priority.

In their statement, the Ministry emphasized that Hungary belongs to Hungarians and that the country will not become a guest worker or immigration country. The government continues to prioritize Hungarian labor, and is therefore doing everything it can to fill vacancies primarily with local workers in order to further increase employment. To protect local workers, Hungary has some of the strictest regulations for guest workers, they added.

Temporary residence and employment in Hungary is only possible for purposes specified by the Hungarian State, under conditions and requirements specified by the state, and with the appropriate decision by the state. In all cases, the stay of foreigners is subject to specific purposes, requires approval, and is limited in time. The employment of foreigners is only possible if the position in question cannot be filled by Hungarian workers.

Several government measures have recently been taken that have led to a decline in the number of guest workers.

For 2025, the quota for guest workers has been reduced to 35,000 and for 2026, it has also been set at 35,000,

the Ministry said. Similar to previous years, the ministerial decree strictly regulates the issuance of residence permits for guest workers, residence permits for employment purposes, and residence permits issued for the purpose of starting up investments for 2026.

The effectiveness of the regulation is confirmed by the fact that Hungary has the lowest proportion (2.6 percent) of third-country nationals among the Visegrád countries,

according to the statement.

As reported by Világgazdaság, there was a heated debate in parliament in the second half of November about how the government is dealing with the labor shortage and the influx of foreign workers. According to the Jobbik party, the government is relying too heavily on guest workers, while hundreds of thousands of Hungarians are looking for work. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded that Hungary has one of the lowest proportions of foreign workers in the European Union and that only as many permits are issued as there are vacant positions.

The head of government also cited specific figures: in September, there were 65,000 job vacancies, the state issued 35,000 permits, and only 10,000 guest workers actually came to Hungary.

Nowhere else in the EU is the proportion of foreign workers as low as it is here; it is only 2.8 percent,”

Viktor Orbán emphasized.

Via Világgazdaság; Featured photo: Pixabay

The post Government Maintains 35,000 Guest Worker Quota for 2026 appeared first on Hungary Today.

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