The population of Hungary was 9 730 000 on 1 January 2021, which is the result of a continuous decline, with an additional fall of 0.4 % against the previous year.
Based on the Labour Force Survey data for the third quarter of 2021, the economically active population aged 15-74 numbered 4 853 100, with the participation rate standing at 64.8 %. Of the active population, 4 603 200 were in employment, while 197 600 were unemployed.
In Q3 2021 the employment rate stood at 63.8 % of the population aged 15-74, an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared to the same quarter of 2020.
The number of people in the 15-74 age group considered unemployed under the ILO definition has been declining continuously since the period of January to March 2015. In the third quarter of 2021, the number of unemployed persons, as defined by the ILO, amounted to 192 700, a decrease of 15 100 compared to the same period in the previous year.
The average number of jobseekers registered by the National Employment Service (NFSZ) on closing dates in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 242 400, a significant decrease compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, 7.3 % of jobseekers were first-time jobseekers. Compared to Q4 2020, the number of first-time jobseekers fell slightly (0.9 percentage points).
42.0 % of all jobseekers had completed the maximum 8 years of primary education, 25.3 % had graduated from a vocational or skilled workers’ training school, another 25.7 % had passed the secondary school leaving examination, and 6.9 % held a college or university degree. The proportion of first-time jobseekers with only primary education (eight forms or less) was 40.6 %, while another 39.5 % had passed the secondary school leaving examination, and a further 4.4 % had obtained a college or university degree.
From a regional perspective, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties had the highest number of jobseekers (35 300 and 24 800, respectively), and in the regions where the labour market situation is worse, the composition of jobseekers by level of education also tends to be less favourable than the national average. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of jobseekers fell, with the largest decreases seen in the capital (-33.7%) and Győr-Moson-Sopron County (-30.6%).
By the end of 2021, collective redundancy decisions involving a total of 4400 people had been notified by business organisations. The number of redundancies notified fell by a third compared to the same period last year.
The demand for workers notified to government offices is indicative of the number of available jobs. In 2021, 371 100 vacancies were notified by employers, down by 10.9 % on the same period of the previous year. As in previous years, the job supply was heavily influenced by the demand for labour generated under the workfare scheme.
42.4 % of the 371 100 jobs on offer involved one of the instruments under the workfare scheme. The number of jobs on the primary labour market amounted to 213 800 in 2021, which is a decrease of 8.4 percentage points year on year.
The vacancies came from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County and the capital city. The skilled occupations most sought by jobseekers in 2021 were as follows: General office administrator, shop assistant, truck driver, lorry driver, cook, mechanical machine assembler, work and production organiser, bartender, locksmith, welder, flame cutter, waiter.
Capital City, Budapest
For the analysis of the capital’s labour market, data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KHS) for the third quarter of 2021 are available. According to data from the Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2021, of the population aged 15-74 in Budapest, the economically active and inactive population numbered 896 500 and 379 500, respectively.
The participation rate was 70.5 %, up 0.4 percentage points year on year.
In the third quarter of 2021, there were 875 000 people employed in the capital, which is 6 900 less than in the third quarter of 2020.
In the years leading up to the coronavirus outbreak in Budapest, we have reached practically close to full employment, but the pandemic has also had a negative impact on the capital’s labour market processes, but there has been a slow improvement.
Compared to the national employment growth of 36 200 people, the capital city sees a decline of 0.7 percentage points, but the unemployment rate is 2.4 %, which is 0.2 % more favourable than in the same period of the previous year.
In the capital, the data regarding the unemployment, participation and employment rates are distinctly more favourable than the national average, as the unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points lower and the participation and employment rates were 4.2 percentage points and 5.1 percentage points higher, respectively.
The positive impact of the coronavirus response on the labour market is already reflected in the NFSZ data for the fourth quarter of 2021, but growth is lower than pre-crisis values. (Q2 2018).
In the territory of the capital, the number of jobseekers registered by the employment departments of district offices was 26 674 on the closing day at the end of 2020 and 17 606 on the closing day a year later, representing a 33.9 % decrease in one year.
In December 2021, 42.4 % of registered jobseekers were male and 57.6 % were female.
The number of registered first-time jobseekers fell to 469, against 843 people registered in the same period of 2020. They account for 3.1 % of registered jobseekers in 2020 and 2.6 % in the same period in 2021.
Pest County
Central Hungary is the most economically significant and also the most developed region in Hungary. It comprises the capital city of Budapest and Pest County. According to data from the KSH Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2021, 679 800 people in the 15-74 age group were economically active in Pest County, which represents an increase of more than 14 700 on the same period in the previous year. The participation rate increased by 0.9 % year on year to 68.2 %, one of the highest participation rates at national level. There were 661 800 people employed and 18 000 unemployed, with an unemployment rate of 2.6 %. The economically inactive population aged 15-74 years numbered 316 800, which represents a decline of 6 900 on the previous year.
NFSZ data show a decrease in unemployment in 2021. The number of registered jobseekers stood at 19 000 in the third quarter of 2021, which is 8 000 fewer than in the same period of the previous year. The average number of registered first-time jobseekers has fallen over the last year in Pest County, standing at 769 in the third quarter of 2021. First-time jobseekers accounted for 4 % of all registered jobseekers in the examined quarter. This ratio fell by 0.4 percentage points compared to the same period of the previous year. There were 1 487 jobseekers aged under 25 in the examined period, which is an increase by 1 200 people as compared to the same period in the previous year. Within the total number of jobseekers, the number of jobseekers under 25 increased by 1.97 percentage points to 7.82 % against the same period of the previous year.
When examining the breakdown by education, the percentage of jobseekers with secondary and primary school educations was at 54.7 % and 35.4 %, respectively, the highest among registered jobseekers.
Capital City, Budapest
A total of 9 005 vacancies were registered in December 2021 by the employment departments of the district offices of the Budapest Government Office.
Most vacancies were offered in the industrial sector, the services sector, and in catering and trade, but the employers of the construction industry and agriculture also notified considerable demand for workers.
The highest number of vacancies in Budapest in December 2021 (in declining order of the number of vacancies):
kitchen helpers, other simple construction workers, other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified, institutional cleaners and helpers, simple industrial occupations, shelf loaders and goods loaders.
Pest County
In the past year, approximately 19 400 new vacancies were notified by employers in Pest County. In 2021, 24.2 % of all applications were submitted for subsidised vacancies. Most of the non-subsidised job needs were for unskilled (simple) occupations, including simple industrial occupations, institutional cleaners and helpers, other product assemblers, other simple construction workers, lorry drivers, truck drivers, mechanical machine assemblers, simple agricultural occupations, kitchen helpers and handling workers.
Capital City, Budapest
In December 2021, the highest number of registered jobseekers were looking for work as general office administrators and shop assistants, but there was also a large number of people looking for employment as cleaners and helpers in institutions, kitchen helpers, in other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified, or as other cleaners and helpers.
As shown by the above figures, there is an overlap between the registered requirement for labour and the jobs sought by registered jobseekers; in other words, these jobs could, in theory, not appear as labour shortage. However, the appropriate qualification and ‘marking’ a job as a job sought are insufficient in themselves for filling a specific vacancy, which may also require other skills and competences. The needs and expectations of employers and employees do not always coincide in that respect.
Pest County
In Pest County, the monthly average number of newly registered jobseekers was 2 331 in the past year. On the basis of available data, there is higher unemployment in commercial and service occupations and in unskilled (simple) occupations. The jobs most in demand among jobseekers were: other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified, shop assistant, general office administrator, cleaner and helper in institutions, lorry driver, truck driver, other cleaner and helper, simple industrial occupations, freight handler, security guard, bodyguard, and kitchen helper.
Fejér County
Fejér County is located in Transdanubia; its county capital is Székesfehérvár. Fejér County is one of the most diverse regions of Hungary. It covers a territory of 4 359 km². The county is divided into 10 statistical sub-regions and 8 employment districts. There are 108 settlements in the county, including 15 towns, two of which have county rights. The county’s geographic and geo-economic position and settlement pattern largely determine the opportunities of the population to earn a living. On 1 January 2020, population density was 96 people per km², exceeding the national average outside Budapest and making the county one of the most densely populated in Hungary.
The population of Fejér County was 418 700 at the beginning of 2021, after a slight increase of 102 people over one year. 14.6 % of the county’s inhabitants are under 14, 65.6 % are aged 15 to 64, and 19.8 % are aged 65 or older. The dependency rate of the child population is increasing and that of elderly people is also on the rise in the county. While in 1995 there were 28 children per 100 people of active age, in 2000 there were 25 children, in 2014 there were 21, but by 2021 a slight and continuous increase to 22 was registered. The proportion of the dependent population is 52.4 %, which is more favourable than the regional and national levels. In 2021, the ageing index in Fejér County was 135.1 %, lower than the regional index. At the beginning of the year, 274 800 people, or nearly two thirds of the population, were of working age.
According to data from the KSH Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2021, the number of economically active people of the population aged 15-74 in Fejér County was 213 100 which is lower by nearly 2 500 than in the previous year. Accordingly, the participation rate was 62.2 %. Meanwhile, the number of people in employment and the number of unemployed fell. In the third quarter of 2021, the number of persons employed was 208 200 people, 1 700 fewer than in the same period of the previous year. The employment rate was 64.7 %, which is lower than the level a year earlier, but 1.3 percentage points higher than the national average (63.4 %). There were 5 000 unemployed people, 700 less than a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 2.3 %, which was 1.6 percentage points lower than the national average. The economically inactive population aged 15-74 numbered 108 700.
The registration system of the National Employment Service showed that, as a result of mid-year turnover figures, there were 7 630 jobseekers in Fejér County on the closing date in December 2021, down by about 20 % year on year.
In 2021, the number of registered jobseekers rose by around 300 in 3 months from the value of 600 in December 2020, peaking at 927 in March, before declining steadily in the second quarter to 8 368 in June. The number continued to decline further from July to 7 769 in September, when a slight increase started, with the number reaching 7 788 in October and further decreasing to 7 630 in December. At a yearly level, the average number of jobseekers registered on the monthly closing dates was 8 518, which is 21.4 % (2 313 people) lower than the average monthly figure for 2020.
In 2021, an average of 5.4 % (456 people per month) of all jobseekers registered in the county were first-time jobseekers. This number was much lower than in the previous year: the number fell by 220 (32.5 %) and the ratio to all registered jobseekers fell by 0.8 percentage points. The number of first-time jobseekers was lower than a year earlier in every month of the year, and was higher than 500 in the first 3 months of the year. The number of them fell below 400 in December and was the highest (575 persons) in January.
Komárom-Esztergom County
According to data from the KSH Labour Force Survey for the first three quarters of 2021, the population aged 15-74 in our county was 230 000, of which the economically active population was 157 600. 153 700 people were employed. Economically active people accounted for 68.5 % of all the people in their age group, while the same proportion of employed people was 66.8 %. The county’s main employment indicators have changed very positively compared to the previous year and exceeded the national level to a greater extent than a year earlier. The number of the unemployed according to the ILO definition was 3 900 people in the county, with the unemployment rate standing at 2.5 %. The difference between the county- and the national-level values of the relative indicator also increased compared to the previous year, so the unemployment rate in the county was already 1.7 percentage points lower than the value characterising the country.
According to data from the National Employment Service, at the end of 2021, there were 4 718 jobseekers registered in the county, covering 3.3 % of the economically active population. For the year as a whole, the number of registered jobseekers fell by 18.5 % or 1 073 people, bringing a 0.7 percentage points improvement in their share of the economically active population. As a result, the county’s main labour market indicators not only fell below the level before the outbreak of COVID, i.e. March 2020, but were also only slightly above the data 2 years earlier, which were the most favourable ones in 2019.
The demand for headcount of the companies operating in our county remained significant; in 2021 several large and medium-sized companies, typically belonging to the manufacturing industry, expanded their headcount. However, the related demand for labour force was barely reflected in the notifications. As employers’ needs can no longer be met from the pool of jobseekers, they tend to choose some other ways of recruiting and selecting suitable workers.
Veszprém County
Veszprém County is located in the Central Transdanubia Region and is one of the nation’s medium-sized counties. The county’s ten districts contain a total of 217 settlements that give home to 341 100 persons. The region’s employment situation is better than the national average. The labour market situation in the county is determined by the different economic, social and geographical environment and local conditions of its ten districts. The effect of tourism to Lake Balaton on employment is felt primarily in the districts along the shoreline (Balatonfüred, Balatonalmádi and Tapolca), but it also plays a decisive role in the rest of the county.
Overall, the appearance of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a temporary decline in the labour market also in Veszprém County, causing an increase mainly in the number of the unemployed compared to the pre-pandemic period. In line with the definitions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), according to KSH data for the population aged 15-74, in the third quarter of 2021, 164 000 people were present in the county’s labour market as employed and 2 400 people as unemployed. The number of persons employed shows a decrease of 1 400 persons compared to the same period of the previous year, but the employment rate has slightly increased: the quarterly county employment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points, to 63.5 %, which was still higher than the national average. The 1 100-person decrease in the number of unemployed persons caused the unemployment rate to decrease from 2.1 % to 1.4 % within one year.
Veszprém County has the lowest unemployment rate among counties, standing at 2.5 percentage points lower than the national level.
Based on the records of the National Employment Service, in the third quarter of 2021 under review, on average, 3.9 % of the active population aged 15-74, or 6 415 persons were registered jobseekers, representing a significant decrease compared to the same period of the previous year. One year earlier, on average, 6.0 % of the active population aged 15-74, or 9 719 persons were registered as jobseekers. Although the restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a large influx of jobseekers into the registers, the number of registered jobseekers has shown a continuous decline starting from the third quarter of 2020 until the end of the period under review. The labour market position of eight districts in the county was more favourable than the national average; but Devecser and Sümeg Districts’ situation was less favourable than both the national average and the county average in the third quarter of 2021. As at the closing date of September 2021, the gender distribution of registered jobseekers was equal. The percentage of first-time jobseekers among registered jobseekers fell from 5.5 % in September 2020 to 4.6 % in the same month of 2021. The coronavirus epidemic led to a rise in the proportion of persons with vocational qualifications and higher educational levels among those entered in the registers compared to the period before the pandemic. On the closing date of September 2021, 32.9 % of jobseekers had primary education at most.
Fejér County
During the year, a total of about 8 000 (7 970) new job vacancies were received by employment departments, so the county’s employers notified them of an average of 664 new jobs per month. This represents approximately 2 500 fewer jobs annually than in 2020, and nearly 210 fewer jobs per month on average. Most notifications of vacancies (1405) were received in March, whereas the fewest (365) were reported during the first month of the year.
Each month, on average, 342 new notifications were made concerning non-subsidised jobs, only 80 fewer per month than the previous year’s average and representing about 51.5 % of all new jobs notified during the year, on average. The average number of subsidised jobs per month was 323, nearly 30 % lower than the figure for the previous year (456). However, the total annual number of subsidised jobs is close to four thousand, with the exact figure standing at 3 866.
Subsidised jobs included mainly jobs notified as part of workfare schemes, which make up for just over half of all subsidised positions (50.5 %).
The most significant of the newly notified jobs are other cleaner and helper occupations, with 836 jobs, followed by other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified, with 833 jobs and simple industrial occupations with 688 jobs.
Komárom-Esztergom County
During 2021 a total of 10 149 positions were notified to be available for registered job seekers. Of them, 6 094 (60.0 %) were so-called normal jobs, 1 810 (17.8 %) were subsidised jobs, and there was a demand for foreign employees in 2 245 (22.1 %) jobs. Around one third of normal demand, i.e. a need for a headcount of 2 071, came from the manufacturing industry, an most of the 1 178 offers (19.3 %) submitted by temporary work agencies were also specifically for the manufacturing industry.
In the breakdown of normal job offers by occupation, the demand for various types of production line assembly workers and mostly simple industrial workers required for similar jobs (1 309 vacancies altogether) must be mentioned in the first place. In addition to the above, there were a large number of postings for simple unskilled jobs (1 128 offers). In the manufacturing industry, machine operators were searched for 555 jobs, most of them, 215 persons, for machine operators in the chemical industry. The demand for industrial and construction workers has been divided among a number of specific occupations, of which the demand for machining workers, 272 people, is by far the most prominent. In addition, a significant number of around 90 employers were interested only in electricians and locksmiths. Concerning any other areas of economy, the number of cooks to be employed is the only one worth mentioning (155). Most of the jobs notified for the purpose of obtaining authorisation for the employment of foreign workers were planned to employ simple manual workers and trained workers (1 463 persons), and only 400 jobs were open to skilled manual workers. These latter notifications mainly concerned the employment of metal workers (172 persons) and technical building installers (131 persons).
Veszprém County
In Veszprém County, the share of open labour market demand has continued to rise year after year; in 2021, three quarters of all labour demand came from the primary labour market. The role of workfare schemes is decreasing every year in the county. In the case of more than 48.7 % of the 9 251 vacancies registered in the course of the year, employers were open to receiving suitable workforce without using any form of subsidy, and slightly more than half of them planned to fill vacancies by using Hungarian and EU subsidies.
In the county, the largest demand for labour force occurred in the employment districts surrounding the towns of Ajka, Pápa and Veszprém, where manufacturing and construction companies, accommodation and catering service providers, as well as commercial businesses experienced the most significant staffing needs. Half of the notified positions were simple occupations that did not require any professional qualifications.
Fejér County
In 2021, there were some 14 000 newly registered jobseekers in Fejér County. The positions most sought by newly registered jobseekers included the following: Shop assistant (1 118), general office administrator (988), other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified (955), mechanical machine assemblers (598), institutional cleaners and helpers (494), other cleaners and helpers (384), forklift drivers (343), lorry/truck drivers (342), other simple construction workers (290), kitchen helpers (254), freight handlers (237), locksmiths (211), security guards, bodyguards (200), cook (179), childminder, nanny (167), simple industrial occupations (160), material manager, purchaser (148), operator of other manufacturing machinery not elsewhere classified (146), bartenders (133), welders flame cutters (127), waiters (123), maintenance and repairers of agricultural and industrial machinery (engines) (121), other office and administrative workers not elsewhere classified (118 ), bricklayers (112), doormen, caretakers, simple guards (110), painters (105), shelf loaders and goods loaders (105), financial administrator (103), wire and pipe installer (102), etc.
A larger oversupply of labour force is likely to be found in the various product manufacturing sectors of the manufacturing industry, in the trade, and in the vehicle repair sectors within producer services, but also in the professional, scientific, technical and administrative activities within consumer services.
Komárom-Esztergom County
In the year under review, 10 826 people became registered jobseekers in the county, and the overwhelming majority of these people includes a group of 10 191 people who registered after their losing their employment. However, there were no jobseekers who lost their jobs as a result of a collective redundancy, as no dismissals resulting in the persons concerned becoming unemployed had been notified in the county during the year.
Nearly one-fifth of newly registered jobseekers, 2 105 persons, were looking for simple unskilled worker jobs. They were followed by a significantly lower number of production line assembly workers (1 247 persons) and then people in the trade industry, most of them shop assistants (938 persons). A total of 450 people wanted to find jobs as forklift drivers, and 343 persons as lorry drivers, while a very low number (153 persons) applied for machine operator positions in the manufacturing industry. The number of metalworkers reached 426, of which 153 were locksmiths and 135 were welders. Among the newly registered jobseekers, 3 064 people were looking for white-collar jobs, with the overwhelming majority of them (1 038) applying for administrative office jobs.
Veszprém County
In 2021, on average, people who had only completed primary education and people who had not even completed primary education together accounted for 32.9 % of all registered jobseekers in the county. A total of 31.3 % of jobseekers held a certificate from a skilled workers’ training school or a vocational school, 17.3 % had a certificate from a secondary vocational school, 10.1 % had passed the secondary school leaving examination at a grammar school, while people with a college or university degree accounted for 8.4 %.
People entered in registers had typically had a position in the manufacturing industry or the services sector, and they wished to find a new position in the same sector, for the most part in positions that do not require any qualifications. In addition to these positions, shop assistant, general office administrator, mechanical machine assembly worker, institutional or other cleaner, kitchen helper, lorry driver, and waiter positions were the most sought after.
Győr-Moson-Sopron County
The county’s population, according to the most recent data from the Central Statistical Office (hereinafter: KSH), was 478 300 people, 1.01 % more than in 2020. The county is home to 5.3 % of Hungary’s employed people. The gender composition of the population is as follows: 51.21 % female, 48.79 % male.
Based on the KSH Labour Force Survey, and in line with the processes characterising the country as a whole, the number of employed people increased, while the number of jobseekers fell compared to 2020. In the third quarter of 2021, the county’s employment rate (77.7 %) was higher than the national average (73.6 %), and the unemployment rate was 1.3 % in this period.
In the third quarter of 2021, the number of economically active population (15-64) in the county was 248 500 persons, 1 % more than in the same period in 2020. In the third quarter of 2020, 90.9 % of registered jobseekers had been registered for up to 12 months. In the same period in 2021, this rate was 77.5 %. 22.4 % of jobseekers had been unable to find employment in the labour market for a long time, more than a year during the period under review.
During the coronavirus epidemic, in the third quarter of 2021, the number of registered jobseekers fell by almost half, while the number of long-term (12 months) registered unemployed increased by 15 %. During the relevant period, a total of 3 203 people were registered in district offices of the Government Office acting in their employment capacity. The number of jobseekers under the age of 25 was 362, down to a third of the statistics (1 054 persons) in year 2020.
As in 2020, the government’s main goal in 2021 was to support the sectors most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, maintain as many jobs as possible, create the same number of new jobs as job losses, and swiftly reintegrate people into the labour market after they lost their jobs. To this end, the government has announced a number of job preservation and creation programmes, such as sectoral wage subsidies, innovation wage subsidies for researchers and developers, and support to companies’ workforce. All three programmes were popular in the county. A total of 8 783 people received sectoral wage subsidies, 1 497 people received subsidies concerning companies, 718 employees of 54 companies were supported by innovation wage subsidies for researchers and developers, while 646 jobseekers who were employed by 478 firms entered the labour market as part of support to companies’ workforce. The success of supporting companies’ workforce can also be seen in a radical reduction in the number of jobseekers under 25 years of age mentioned above.
Vas County
Following adverse developments in 2020, there were signs of stabilisation in the labour market in 2021.
Based on the KSH Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2021, 67.1 % of the population aged 15-74, i.e. 131 400 economically active people, were on the labour market in Vas County, a thousand persons fewer than a year earlier. Within the economically active population, the number of people employed fell by 2 100, while the number of unemployed people increased by 1 200. The unemployment ratio reached 2.5 %, whereas the employment rate reached 65.4 %. This latter ratio was 2.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to data from the NFSZ, processes started to improve on the labour market in the county in 2021. The number of registered jobseekers fell from month to month, through at varying rates, as a result of which the number of registered jobseekers fell to 4 266 persons in the third quarter, 39.2 % less than in the same period of the previous year.
A total of 34 % of jobseekers had up to 8 years of primary education, 27.6 % went to vocational training schools, 8.9 % to secondary grammar schools, 20.6 % had qualifications from vocational secondary schools, and 8.9 % held degrees from college or university.
In the third quarter of 2021, 6 % of jobseekers, a total of 258 persons, were categorised as first-time jobseekers, 54 % less than a year earlier. Among first-time jobseekers, the proportion of people with a maximum of 8 years of primary education was 24.6 %, followed by 16.7 % who had graduated from vocational or skilled workers’ training schools, 15.5 % who had passed the secondary school leaving examination, 33 % who had a certificate from a secondary vocational school, and 10.2 % who had a college or university degree.
Vas County is still considered to be one of the regions with the most favourable labour market situation. The unemployment rate per month was 3.4 % on average, 2 percentage points lower than a year earlier and 2.1 percentage points more favourable than the national ratio.
The value of the indicator improved in all regions of Vas County compared to the third quarter of the previous year, with all regions having a job-search ratio a minimum of 1 percentage point lower than a year earlier.
The proportion of jobseekers is the highest in the catchment area of Vasvár (6 %), which is 2.6 percentage points less favourable than the county average. In addition, the labour market situation in the Celldömölk region is worse than that of the county.
In other districts, the relative indicator is similar or more favourable that of the county.
Zala County
Like the national trend, the county’s population has been decreasing for many years, on 1 January 2021, it numbered 265 100.
The working-age population is about 170 000, i.e. nearly two thirds of the total population. The age composition of the population of the county is slightly different to the national figures. In Zala, the proportion of those under 15 is 2 percentage points lower than the national average, that of those aged 15-64 is 1 percentage point lower, while that of those over 64 is 3 percentage points higher.
Most data concerning the employment situation are sourced from the questionnaire-based quarterly KSH Labour Force Survey. According to such data, in the third quarter of 2021, the average number of people employed in Zala County was 127 700, which is 4 100 more than one year before.
The employment rate was 3.8 percentage points higher than in the third quarter of 2020, and its value of 76.4 % is 2.8 percentage points higher than the national average.
According to that survey, the number of unemployed people was 4 300 in the county in the third quarter of 2021, 1 500 less than a year earlier. The unemployment rate fell from 4.5 % to 3.2 % and is 0.7 percentage points lower than the national figure.
The economic activity increased in the county, the participation rate of 79 % in the third quarter of 2021 was is 2.4 percentage points higher than the national one.
According to the average figures for 2021, the number of registered jobseekers in Zala County is the seventh lowest of all counties and, in terms of the proportion of the jobseeking population, nine counties are in a more favourable position than Zala. Overall, annual developments were more favourable than the national ones in terms of key data, with the number and proportion of jobseekers falling more than average in Zala county.
In 2021, there were on average 7 500 registered jobseekers in the county, 2 200 fewer than a year earlier. As a result of the effects of the pandemic, the number of registrants increased dramatically in 2020, resulting in a very high baseline. In all districts within the county, the decline was above 10 %, while the average number of jobseekers in Zalaegerszeg district fell by more than 30 %.
In 2021, the average ratio of jobseekers to the economically active population was 5.8%, or 1.6 percentage points lower than the ratio recorded one year earlier. The proportion of jobseekers in the areas of Lenti, Keszthely, Zalaszentgrót and Zalaegerszeg is consistently lower than average, although due to the pandemic it was temporarily above average in Keszthely district in the first half of the year. Letenye district has long had the highest rate, but the rate for the area around Nagykanizsa is also higher than average.
In 2021, the scale of labour market changes was also considerably different from one year before. The number of new additions to the register amounted to 10 300, and 12 200 persons were removed from it; the former is 7 800 lower than in 2020 and the latter is 4 200 lower.
In terms of its economic indicators, Zala County is in the mid-field relative to other Hungarian counties. At the end of 2021, there were 52 800 registered businesses in the county, including 10 300 partnerships and 42 500 sole traders. There were 199 businesses per one thousand inhabitants, which is higher than the national average.
In the first three quarters of 2021, the volume of industrial production per establishment in Zala County grew by 9 % compared to the rate a year earlier, slightly lower than the national average.
According to the latest available preliminary territorial data for 2020, the per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) was HUF 3 533 000, which is significantly lower than in previous years. Thus, Zala County ranks 13th among all the counties in Hungary.
Győr-Moson-Sopron county
In the third quarter of 2021, 3 033 new jobs were notified, of which 22 % were announced in the manufacturing industry, 24 % in public administration-administrative activities, 20 % in trade, hospitality and transport, and 7 % in agriculture. The remaining 27 % was divided between other services, human health services and professional and scientific activities. July 2021 saw the highest number of jobs notified, with a downward trend for the rest of the year.
During the period under review, dominant positions among notified vacancies included shop assistant, simple industrial occupation and general office administrator jobs. In addition, there was a large number of labour needs for lorry drivers, truck drivers and mechanical machine assemblers.
Vas County
Labour demand picked up in 2021, following the decline due to the coronavirus outbreak. Employers reported 9 935 vacancies to district offices, 13.8 % more than in the previous year.
The number of non-subsidised jobs fell by 40.1 %, and that of subsidised jobs by 28.5 %, year on year.
The number and proportion (24.3 %) of workers sought by businesses in the manufacturing industry were both high. Every fifth vacancy was reported from public administration. 6.1 % of the vacancies came from the trade sector, 6.5% from catering, 11.8 % from the construction industry, and 4.7 % from organisations operating in health and social care provision.
Approximately 65 % of the vacancies advertised by employers did not require more than primary education. Such job openings regarded mainly semi-skilled and unskilled work. Most vacancies for skilled workers targeted shop assistants, cooks, bricklayers, electricians, and waiters.
Zala County
In 2021, 5500 new non-subsidised job openings were notified by employers in Zala County, nearly 2000 more than a year earlier. In Zala County, non-subsidised demand represents around 4 % of the national level, which is high.
While the highest demand for employees in non-subsidised jobs (approximately 1800 people) came from the manufacturing industry, with more than 900 people, it was closely followed by the demand for labour in the field of administrative and service support activities, which covers primarily temporary work agencies. The demand for labour in the construction, accommodation services, catering and trade sectors was also higher than in other sectors.
In terms of non-subsidised jobs, besides the significant demand for labour in other simple occupations, during the year in the county a relatively large number of vacancies targeted locksmiths, bricklayers, assemblers, welders, machining workers, cooks, kitchen helpers, shop assistants, waiters, electricians, and lorry drivers.
Győr-Moson-Sopron County
The number of registered jobseekers was 3 203 in the third quarter of 2021, which more than halved compared to the same period in 2020. Men accounted for 46.27 % and women for 53.73 % of all jobseekers. The number of people under 25 fell by 66 %, while the proportion of jobseekers aged 26-50 fell by 62 % compared to 2020. During the period under review, only 24 % of registered jobseekers were out of intellectual jobs. This relatively low value is due to firms in the advanced automotive and mechanical engineering sectors present in the county, which employ a large number of highly skilled workers with higher education. These companies mostly advertise jobs for skilled workers, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, which explains the higher proportion of skilled workers (36 %), as well as semi-skilled and unskilled workers (also 36 %) among registered jobseekers.
Vas County
In 2021, 6 838 people were registered as new jobseekers, about half of the number a year earlier. About 14 % of new entrants were registered as unemployed for the first time, while the overwhelming majority had searched for work before.
Of those who became unemployed, 22.9 % had worked in the manufacturing industry, 10 % in trade, another 10 % in catering, 7 % in the construction industry, and 6 % had been employed by temporary work agencies.
On the closing day of each month, an average of 4 547 people were looking for work in the county, most of them (484) seeking unskilled work. In addition to the above, the occupations most in demand among jobseekers were shop assistant (352 people), mechanical machine assembly worker (220 people), general office administrator (246 people), and institutional cleaner and helper (269 people).
Zala County
In 2021, 10 300 people were added to the register of jobseekers in the county. A total of 10 % of new entrants registered for the first time, while the rest had been also jobseekers before. The occupations most in demand among new entrants were the following (in descending order of importance): simple unskilled occupations, shop assistant, office administrator, lorry driver, waiter, mechanical machine assembly worker, cook, security guard, bartender, locksmith, cabinet-maker, painter and varnisher.
Baranya County
According to data from the KSH, the population of Baranya County is 356 800. There are 301 settlements in the county, which is dominated by small villages (two thirds of which have fewer than 500 inhabitants). Of the 14 towns in Baranya County, Pécs, the county seat, stands out with its 146 000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest town in Hungary.
In the third quarter of 2021, the number of employed and unemployed people was 155 300 and 8 400 respectively. The employment rate stood at 57.6 %, the participation rate at 60.7 %, the former 5.8 percentage points, the latter 5.3 percentage points below the national average. The unemployment rate in the county was 5.1 %, whereas the national figure was 3.9 %. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the average number of people employed increased by 3.2 %, and the number of unemployed fell by 18 %.
In the first three quarters of 2021, the number of people employed by farmers with more than 5 employees in Baranya County was 86 500 people on average, 3 % more than in the previous year; increased by 3.2 % nationwide.
In the third quarter of 2021, in the competitive sector employing 56.6 % of employees in Baranya County, 4.2 % more people had jobs compared to the base period, and in the public sector, which employs 34.7 % of employees, 4.3 % fewer had jobs. Manufacturing ranks first among the sectors of the national economy, with a share of 19.2 % and an increase of 1.9 %. Public administration, defence and compulsory social security rank second with a share of 19.1 % and an increase of 0.1 %, and human health and social work rank third with a 13.0 % share and a decrease of 1.5 %. Characteristically, agriculture accounted for less than 5 % of employment, even though one-quarter of registered businesses operate in this sector (whereas manufacturing companies, which employed one fifth of all employees, represents less than 5 % of all companies). The share of industry as a whole is below one-quarter of the total number of employed people (23.4 %, of which manufacturing represents 19 %). Overall, trade and catering account for a larger share of employment than agriculture and construction.
According to data from the National Employment Service (NFSZ), the average number of registered jobseekers in Baranya County in the first three quarters of 2021 was 14 844, which was significantly higher (by 15.9 % or 2 806 people) than in the previous year. On average in 2020, the number of registered jobseekers was 17 650.
The labour market situation of the county can be assessed based on the ratio of jobseekers. In the first three quarters of 2021, registered jobseekers represented 9.1 % of the economically active population as a monthly average, which exceeded the national average by 3.1 percentage points. Baranya’s average rate was the eighth highest in the national rankings.
Of all the registered jobseekers, a monthly average of 1 156 were first-time jobseekers, which is 17.0 % (236 people) fewer than a year earlier. The national figures have also shown a similar trend (+22.8 %). First-time jobseekers accounted for an average of 7.8 % of all jobseekers, 0.1 percentage points lower than in the previous year and 0.3 percentage points higher than the national average.
In September 2020, the number of businesses registered in the county was 62 100, 1.7 % higher than a year earlier. Sole traders numbered 46 800, while the number of partnerships in Baranya County was 15 200. A quarter of these businesses were established in agriculture, followed by – based on sectors in national economy – real estate transactions (12.8 %), professional, scientific and technical activities (11.2 %) and trade (8.8 %). Industrial activities excluding construction accounted for 5 %.
Somogy County
By 1 January 2021, the population of Somogy County had increased, by 1 000 compared to a year earlier, to 300 900, representing just over 3 % of the country’s total population.
According to the results of the KSH Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2021, of the county’s population aged 15-74, 133 900 people entered the labour market in Somogy County, of which 127 300 were employed and 6 600 were unemployed, the former fell by 5 100 and the latter increased by 6 000 compared to data in the same period of the previous year.
Compared to the third quarter of 2020, the participation rate (58.7 %) fell by 1.6 percentage points, with the employment rate (55.8 %) falling by 1.9 percentage points and the unemployment rate (4.9 %) rising by 0.6 percentage points. The evolution of figures for Somogy County was less favourable than the national average.
According to the data of the National Employment Service, the average number of registered jobseekers in Somogy County at closing dates in third quarter of 2021 was 11 700, decreasing by 27.2 % (4 400 persons) compared to the same period of the previous year.
The ratio of registered jobseekers to the economically active population was higher than the national average, at 9.5 %, showing a decrease of 3.3 percentage points in one year.
On average, first-time jobseekers accounted for 9.1 % of the number of jobseekers, their group numbered 1 071 people in the third quarter of 2021, representing a decrease of 33 % compared to the same period in 2020.
Tolna County
Tolna County is located in the south-eastern part of Transdanubia. The county is bordered by Fejér County in the north, the River Danube in the east, Baranya County in the south and Somogy County in the west. As at 1 January 2021, the population of the county was 215 500, 0.9 % lower than a year before.
According to the latest data from the KSH Labour Force Survey, in the first three quarters of 2021, of the population aged 15-74 in Tolna County the number of economically active people accounted for 100 900, which represents an increase of 600 people compared to the previous year. Having increased by 1 percentage point, the participation rate was 61.5 % in the period under review. It was 3.3 percentage points lower than the national average. In the first three quarters of 2021, the number of people employed was 98 000, accounting for 59.7 % of the population aged 15-74, after an increase of 1.1 percentage points over a period of one year. The number of unemployed people was 2 900, while the unemployment rate was 2.9 % as opposed to 3.0 % a year earlier. With this rate, Tolna County was the county with the 5th lowest rate in the ranking of Hungarian counties, the same as Komárom-Esztergom County. (The national average unemployment rate was 4.1 %.) The economically inactive population aged 15-74 was 63 200, a decrease of 3.5 % compared to the same period of the previous year.
According to data from the National Employment Service, the average number of registered jobseekers in Tolna County was 6 657 in 2021, which was 15.6 % lower than in the previous year. At national level, the annual average number of jobseekers fell by 14.9 %.
In Tolna County, the ratio of registered jobseekers to the economically active population in 2021 was 6.8 %, which is higher than the national average of 5.8 % and 1.3 percentage points lower than the same ratio registered in the county in the previous year.
The number of registered first-time jobseekers fell. The average number of 616 in 2021 was 120 persons lower than one year earlier. On average, first-time jobseekers accounted for 9.3 % of all registered jobseekers, which is the same as in the previous year.
Baranya County
In the first three quarters of 2021, employers registered new demand for a total of 14 487 people with employment departments in Baranya County, which is 18.2 % lower than in the same period of 2020. On average, 1 610 new vacancies a month were thus available to jobseekers. Most of the new vacancies on offer, 86.1% (12 479), involved subsidised jobs, while the number of non-subsidised jobs available was only 2008. The number of non-subsidised jobs remained the same, and the number of subsidised jobs fell by 20.5 % compared to the previous year. Jobs available under workfare programmes accounted for two thirds of all subsidised jobs.
The dominance of workfare schemes can be seen in the character of the jobs sought among all the registered jobs: 49.3 % account for simple service occupations, with skilled jobs ranking first, and shop assistant jobs ranking only ninth on the list, with a share of a mere 1.2 %. Among non-subsidised jobs, cooks rank fourth with a share of 3.0 %, locksmiths rank fifth (2.9 %), salespersons rank seventh (2.8 %), and dressmakers also made it into the top ten.
Somogy County
In 2021, a total of 10 900 vacancies were registered in Somogy County, which means that, on average, 900 jobs were offered to clients each month. Compared to data for 2020, the number of incoming vacancies fell by 19.0 %.
Employers applied for a subsidy for 82 % of the jobs registered, offering job opportunities for 9 100 people. Normal, non-subsidised jobs accounted for 17.3 % of the new demand for labour, offering employment to 1 900 people in total.
According to occupations, the largest number of jobs – for 8 200 people – were offered by employers in unskilled (simple) occupations. It was followed by trade and service occupations (700 people), with the highest number of offers for shop assistants, bartenders, cooks and waiters. Demand for workers in the industrial and construction sectors (600 people) was also significant, where workers were mainly sought to fill the jobs of bricklayers, locksmiths, car and motor maintenance and repair persons, as well as painters and varnishers.
Tolna County
In 2021, employers in Tolna County registered a total of 8 851 new vacancies, representing a growth of 599 jobs compared to the previous year. The number of vacancies related to workfare schemes fell by 23.1 % from 3 750 in 2020 to 2 885 in 2021. Employers applied for subsidies in respect of 58.4 % (5 168 jobs) of all registered jobs. The number of non-subsidised jobs grew compared to the previous year, thus reaching 3 683 in the year under review. The largest share of non-subsidised jobs came from the construction (53.1 %) and manufacturing (26.3 %) sectors. In all the other sectors, the proportion of non-subsidised jobs was below 10 %.
Baranya County
In the first three quarters of 2021, the monthly average number of jobseekers in Baranya County was 14 844.
13.4 % of them were under 25, 19.6 % were aged 26-35, 19.7 % were aged 36-45, 22.2 % were aged 46-55, and very high proportion, 25.1 % of them, were people over 55.
The proportion of those with no more than a primary education was very high 42.5 % of all registered jobseekers, while 52.0 % had secondary-level education (28.5 % were qualified as skilled workers, 13.7 % had secondary vocational school education and 9.8 % had a certificate from grammar school). The proportion of jobseekers with a higher education degree was 5.5 %.
Most jobseekers were looking for unskilled work (3 295 people, 22.2 %), shop assistant jobs ranked second (1 188 people, 8.0 %), followed by general office administrator jobs (722 people, 4.9 %); institutional cleaner and helper jobs (660 people, 4.5 %), and kitchen helper jobs (391 people, 2.6 %). In addition, jobs for lorry drivers, bricklayers, security guards and waiters made into the group of jobs sought by more than 200 jobseekers.
Somogy County
In 2021, an average of 12 800 jobseekers per month were registered in Somogy County, a 17.9 % lower value than a year earlier. Most of them (5 900 people) wanted to work in unskilled (simple) occupations. In addition, a high number of jobseekers (2 100 people) sought commercial and service occupations, mostly as shop assistants, cooks, waiters, security guards/bodyguards, or bartenders. This was followed by jobseekers wanting to work in the industrial and construction sectors, mainly as locksmiths, bricklayers, or painters and varnishers (1 300 people).
Tolna County
In 2021, 8 900 jobseekers were registered in Tolna County, 37.4 % less than in the same period of 2020. On the closing day of each month an average of 6 700 people were looking for work in the county, 2 600 of them looking for simple, unskilled work. In addition, most people sought jobs as shop assistants (510 persons), general office administrators (347 persons), institutional cleaners and helpers (278 persons), mechanical machine assemblers (201), other cleaners and helpers (183), other simple construction workers (168), in simple industrial occupations (145 persons), as lorry drivers, truck drivers (117), security guards, bodyguards (103 persons), waiters (97), cooks (92), and forklift drivers (91).
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, in the north-east of Hungary, is the county with the second largest territory and the second largest population in the country. On 1 January 2021, it had 633 000 inhabitants, 6.5 % of the country’s population, and 14 out of the 16 districts of the county benefit from territorial development funds.
Industry and manufacturing (the chemical, engineering, automotive and electronics industries) have long played a key role in the economy of the county, as have the tourist industry and the academic/educational sector, owing to the outstanding natural and cultural heritage of the region, but the role of other services has also been growing steadily.
The labour market in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County has been growing steadily since 2013. According to statistical data of the Central Statistical Office (KSH) Labour Force Survey (as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO)), the number of employed persons in the population aged 15-74, the number of employed people was 273 700, while the number of unemployed persons was 20 700 in our county. Compared to the same period of the previous year (third quarter of 2020), the number of employed persons increased by 3 000, and the employment rate was 58 % in the third quarter of 2021. Unemployment developed negatively during the period under review, with an increase in the number of the unemployed by 4 600 and an unemployment rate standing at 7 % in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County in the third quarter of 2021. Nevertheless, the number of registered jobseekers fell.
According to data from the National Employment Service, in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County the Employment Departments of the District Offices were in contact with an average of 38 100 registered jobseekers per month in 2021, and their average monthly number fell by 2 900 people or 7 % compared to 2020.
In the third quarter of 2021, the monthly average number of jobseekers was 37 400, decreasing by 5 000 or 12 % year on year.
In 2021, concerning the average monthly number of registered jobseekers (38 100), 18 900 (49.6 %) had primary education, 17 900 (46.9 %) had secondary education and 1300 (3.5 %) had tertiary education. In terms of gender composition, the proportion was 50.5 % for men and 49.5 % for women.
The monthly average number of first-time jobseekers registered in 2021 fell (by 559 persons) compared to the previous year, reaching 3600 persons or 9.4 % of registered jobseekers in 2021.
Heves County
At the beginning of 2021, the (estimated) resident population of the county was 292 000. In the third quarter of 2021, the natural decline of the population grew in the county, with the number of deaths exceeding the number of live births by 510 persons (in the third quarter of 2020, the number of natural decline was 1015). The number of live births was 1.8 % (38 people) higher than the base value and the number of deaths was 17.0 % (533 people) higher than the base value.
Based on the KSH Labour Force Survey, the number of persons employed within the population aged 15-74 in Heves County was 130 300 in the third quarter of 2021. Compared to the third quarter of 2020, the number of employees increased by 1 600, or 1.2 % (nationally by 0.8 %). The number of unemployed people, as published on the website of KSH, was 4 100 in Heves County in the third quarter of 2021. The number of them fell by 600 people, or 13.7 % (nationally by 8.7 %) compared to data for the third quarter of 2020. The employment rate of the population aged 15-74 in Heves County in the third quarter of 2021 was 59.7 % (3.7 % points below the national average), the unemployment rate was 3.1 % and the national average was 3.9 %. Data published by KSH shows that in the third quarter of 2021, the unemployment rate in Heves County was 0.7 % higher than in Budapest (2.4 %).
In the third quarter of 2021, we had an average of 11 600 jobseekers per month registered in Heves County, 3 364 people, or 22.5 %, less than the monthly average headcount of 14 964 in the third quarter of 2020.
As regards the unemployment rate, based on the number of registered jobseekers, Heves County, whose 8.7 % indicator was 3.4 percentage points above the national average, had a mid-field position in the county rankings. A total of 46.4 % of all jobseekers (5 385 people) had completed a maximum of 8 years of primary education. Their number fell by 961, or 15.1 %, while their proportion among the total number of jobseekers increased by 4.0 percentage points over one year. The proportion of jobseekers who have completed up to 8 years of primary education is the highest in the area surrounding the Heves office, standing at 61.7 %. The number of jobseekers with secondary education in the county fell by 2 159 people or 27.9 % compared to the third quarter of 2020. They numbered 5 570, on a monthly average, in the third quarter of 2021, while their share among all jobseekers, 48.0 %, fell by 3.7 % over a year. The number of graduate job seekers was 645 in the county, 244 less than in the third quarter of 2020, and their share among all jobseekers fell from 5.9 % to 5.6 %.
Nógrád County
Nógrád County is a medium-level administrative unit of Hungary that has second smallest territory and also the smallest population. Most of its 131 settlements have fewer than a thousand residents. At the beginning of 2021, the population of Nógrád County numbered nearly 188 000, and the past year saw a further decline of nearly 2 000 people due to the unfavourable demographic indicators.
Nógrád is typically among the last ones in the ranking of counties in terms of key economic indicators, and this is coupled with serious labour market disadvantages. Each of the county’s six sub-regions have been classified as disadvantaged.
In 2021, the economy of the county saw largely the same changes as the country, with mostly favourable trends taking place. The negative trends characterising the previous year have turned in a positive direction in a number of areas. The performance of industry and construction exceeded that of the previous year, while tourism was the biggest loser of the coronavirus outbreak. However, business associations registered in the county seat spent significantly smaller amounts on capital investments than in 2020.
Manufacturing – particularly engineering – plays a key role in the economy of Nógrád County.
The conditions for agriculture and crop production are less favourable than in other parts of the country. In terms of their role in employment, businesses operating in manufacturing and trade are the most significant in the county. The most important companies, by district, are the following:
Salgótarján: Wamsler SE Rt, Magyarországi Hangszórógyártó Kft, Mitsuba Kft.
Balassagyarmat: MAHLE Compressors Hungary Kft, Nidec Sole Motor Hungary Kft.
Pásztó: EGLO Magyarország Kft, Csépe és Társai Kft, Elektromont Kft.
Szécsény: TOMMY INVEST Elektronikai Kft., Palóc-Coop Zrt., Profilplast Kft.
Bátonyterenye: Bombardier Kft., Besser Hungaria Kft., Viessmann Kft., ELIN Metal Kft.
Rétság: Knaus Tabbert Kft, HI-LEX Kft, Interfa Bútoripari Kft, Hungary Enbi Kft.
The positive economic changes are not reflected in the employment indicators. In the first three quarters of 2021, 77 400 people were employed on average within the population aged 15-64 in the county, while the number of unemployed people was 10 000. The employment rate was 65.3 %, whereas the unemployment rate was 11.4 %. The level of employment was the second lowest in the country nationwide, while the unemployment rate was the third highest. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the participation rate of the 15-64 age group fell from 73.8 % to 73.7 %. In addition to the increase in the number of people belonging to the group of the unemployed, the number of the employed and the inactive fell short of the level measured in the first three quarters of 2020.
Unlike in the previous year, the epidemiological situation did not cause a dramatic change in labour supply in the county’s labour market in 2021. According to data from the National Employment Service (NFSZ), the monthly average number of registered jobseekers in Nógrád County was 10 768 in 2021, 1 609 (8.9%) lower than in 2020. The number of registered clients increased significantly in January, but between February and December it fell or stagnated in smaller or larger numbers. From March 2021 to the end of the year, there was a month-on-month staff reduction compared to the previous year. According to the average figures, the number of nearly all groups of jobseekers experienced decreases in headcount over the year.
In 2021, the average number of registered first-time jobseekers was 940, which is 193 persons or 17.4 % less than in year 2020. On average, first-time jobseekers accounted for 8.7 % of all registered jobseekers, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than the national average. The majority of young people are unskilled, which puts them at a significant disadvantage on the labour market.
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
In 2021, the county district offices registered 56 200 new jobs, 3 900 (6.5 %) less than in 2020, of which 41 300 (73.4 %) were new subsidised jobs. The overwhelming majority of jobs, 59 % (33 000), was available under workfare schemes, and 41 % (23 200) on the primary labour market.
Due to the large share of workfare schemes, the vast majority (76.1 %) of jobs notified did not require any vocational qualification, and the proportion of skilled jobs available remained low (23.9 %).
From a geographical perspective, the overwhelming majority of the demand on the primary labour market (number of newly registered jobs) was available in the county’s industrial, administrative and educational centre, i.e. in the Miskolc district (17.1 %) and in one of the centres of the county’s chemical industry, in the Tiszaújváros district (42 %) in 2021.
Heves County
The employment departments of the six district offices in Heves County received notifications of 10 087 vacancies in 2021, 16.5 % (1 994 people) fewer than in 2020. Of the new jobs entered in the register, 80.2 % (8 090) were subsidised, while the remaining 19.1 % (1 997 jobs) were non-subsidised positions. Demand for workers in subsidised jobs fell by 1 688, or 17.3 % compared to the base; in particular, the number of workers sought for workfare schemes fell by 869 (14.5 %).
In 2021, the number of new vacancies for non-subsidised jobs was 1997. A total of 43.4 % (867 people) of all non-subsidised vacancies were for skilled blue-collar workers, 33.4 % (666 people) for unskilled workers, 20.6 % (412 people) for semi-skilled workers, whereas 13.4 % (267 people) for white-collar workers.
Non-subsidised vacancies included: 21 assembly workers (Gyöngyös 5, Hatvan 65, Eger 16), 301 simple transport and service occupations (Eger 67, Gyöngyös 70, Hatvan 100), 190 metal and electrical industry skilled workers (Eger 49, Gyöngyös 52, Hatvan 38), 278 industrial, construction, agricultural unskilled workers (Eger 141, Gyöngyös 21, Hatvan 10), 223 trade and catering skilled workers (Eger 94, Gyöngyös 40, Hatvan 36), 87 cleaners (Gyöngyös 18, Hatvan 6, Eger 55), 211 drivers, mobile machine operators (Eger 37, Gyöngyös 41, Hatvan 121), 111 construction industry skilled workers (Eger 71, Gyöngyös 23, Heves 5, Hatvan 11), 144 manufacturing machine operators (Füzesabony 75, Gyöngyös 24, Hatvan 19), 50 technicians (Hatvan 16, Eger 14, Gyöngyös 17), 75 office or administration occupations (Eger 35, Gyöngyös 13, Hatvan 9), 33 food industry skilled workers (Eger 14, Heves 12). Companies tend not to advise the district employment departments of their demand for workers with higher education qualifications. In 2021, only five vacancies were registered for people with a college or university degree in technical sciences, IT and natural sciences.
Nógrád County
In the past year, an employer operating in the district of Pásztó decided to reduce the number of employees by 16 persons, the reason for which was an organisational change. This figure was below 0.5 % of the national figure and just over a tenth of the figure for previous year.
In 2021, 10 600 vacancies arose in Nógrád County, one sixth lower than one year ago. The decline affected the primary labour market demand and public employment-related notifications almost in the same numbers. Of all registered new vacancies, 6 200 (58 %) were connected to public services, while the number of vacancies on the primary labour market slightly exceeded 3 400, 36 % of which was also subsidised jobs.
Demand for labour was below the 2020 level in both the production sector (e.g. 1 041 vacancies in manufacturing, 324 in construction) and the sectors of producer and consumer services (e.g. 498 vacancies in trade, 160 in transport, 211 in catering).
The number of vacancies on the open labour market was the highest in the Salgótarján (1 075 people) and Rétság (742 people) areas and the lowest in the district of Bátonyterenye (287 people).
More than half of all registered market jobs required only a primary education, 42.2 % was available to persons with secondary education, while 2.3 percent required a degree from higher-education.
Employers were mostly offering semi-skilled and unskilled work for jobseekers. Of skilled jobseekers, the highest demand was witnessed for workers in trade and catering (shop assistant, cook, waiter, confectioner), in the metal- and electrical industry (welder, locksmith, machining worker, motor vehicle and engine maintenance and repair persons), in construction (bricklayer, electrician) in services (penitentiary guard), as well as drivers and office administrators.
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County
The distribution of the county’s population by region is uneven, a fact that is decisive for the distribution of the available workforce. In 2021, most of the registered jobseekers, 22.5 % of the county’s population, lived in the county’s administrative seat, Miskolc and its region (Miskolc district). Part of the district of Miskolc is the Sajó Valley industrial area, which includes other districts with significant industrial potential (Tiszaújváros, Kazincbarcika, Ózd and Putnok), where another 28.7 % of jobseekers live in the county. Of the county’s jobseekers, 8.2 % reside in two districts in the southern part of the county, known mostly for their agricultural activity and medicinal waters (Mezőkövesd and Mezőcsát), while 40.6 % reside in 10 districts in the northern and north-eastern part of the county, which borders Slovakia and includes the Tokaj-Hegyalja area, with an economy based primarily on agriculture and tourism (the areas around the towns of Encs, Edelény, Szikszó, Szerencs, Gönc, Tokaj, Sárospatak, Sátoraljaújhely and Cigánd).
In 2021, the number of jobseekers with a vocational qualification was 23 600, representing 61.9 % of all registered jobseekers. Among all registered jobseekers, in terms of jobs sought, unskilled (simple) occupations were more popular (46.2 %), followed by trade and services (14.8 %) and industrial and construction occupations (14 %).
Based on data from the Central Statistical Office, in the third quarter of 2021, the population aged 15-74, the potential labour reserve in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County was 31 300.
Heves County
In 2021, the monthly average of registered jobseekers in Heves County was the highest in the districts of Eger (3 000), Gyöngyös (2400) and Heves (2 300). While in the Hatvan, Gyöngyös, Eger and Füzesabony districts the proportion of registered jobseekers to the economically active population was between 7.0 % and 8.0 %, the proportion was 15.9 % in the Heves district.
Most of the jobseekers registered in 2020 were looking for employment as unskilled workers (2 800), cleaners (1398), shop assistants (804), assembly workers (549), office administrators (561), kitchen helpers (289), forklift drivers (228), lorry drivers (215), locksmiths (128), freight handlers (140), security guards (196), bricklayers (146), cooks (104), doormen, caretakers (167), waiters (87), bartenders (92), machining workers (77), painters and varnishers (125), welders, flame cutters (63) and nannies (103).
Nógrád County
Employment departments registered 12 000 new jobseekers in 2021, while numbers leaving the system reached 13 000 people. Inflows fell by 29 %, while outflows were a sixth of the previous year. Fluctuations were lower than a year earlier, but the direction was unfavourable due to falling outflows.
The overwhelming majority of new entrants had lost their jobs, while the remaining minority registered for other reasons or as first-time jobseekers. The number of redundancies either stagnated or fell in all economic sectors compared to 2020. Most lay-offs were in certain fields of manufacturing, construction and trade. In addition, there was a steady flow of public service workers and an inflow of first-time jobseekers, but in both customer groups it represented fewer customer flows than a year before.
Unemployed people with a vocational qualification who registered during 2021 were mostly looking for employment in the following positions: shop assistant, general office administrator, welder, locksmith, cook, security guard, bricklayer, painter and varnisher, and waiter.
In 2021, employment departments of the district offices of Nógrád County reported the highest number of jobseekers (3 786 people or 35.2 %) in the county seat and its environs, while the lowest number was recorded in the Rétság district (761 people or 7.1 %). In the other four regions of the county there was a monthly average of between 1 284 and 1 695 clients in contact with district labour offices.
Hajdú-Bihar County
Based on a survey of the population conducted by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, in the third quarter of 2021, 66.2 % of the county’s population aged 15-74, i.e. approximately 263 000 people, were economically active. Of them, 249 000 were present on the labour market as employed and 14 000 as unemployed. The number of people employed increased, while that of the unemployed fell compared to the same period of the previous year. The employment rate was 62.7 %, which is 1.4 percentage points higher year on year. The unemployment rate was 5.3 %, representing a decline of 1 percentage point. The national employment rate (63.4 %) was higher, and the unemployment rate (3.9 %) lower than the corresponding figures of Hajdú-Bihar County.
The number of jobseekers in Hajdú-Bihar County, on average in the third quarter of 2021 (hereinafter: the period under review), was 19 949, which represents a decrease of 24.3 % (6 412 people) compared to the average of the third quarter of 2020 (hereinafter: the base period).
Nearly one third of the unemployed people (29.3%) were registered by the Debrecen district office; this figure is 4.3 % lower than the base period. The number of jobseekers fell in all the ten districts compared to the base period.
In months 7 to 9 of 2021, there were on average 10 846 women and 9 193 men among the registered jobseekers in Hajdú-Bihar County; they accounted for 54.4 % and 45.6 % of the total number of jobseekers, respectively.
The figures for the base period show a 5.2 % difference between the genders, with 1 370 more women being registered. For women, there was a 21.8 % decrease (3 019 people) in the period under review compared to the average for months 7 to 12 of 2020.
In the period under review, the average number of men increased by 27.2 % (3 393 people) year on year.
On average, in the third quarter of 2021, the number of skilled jobseekers in Hajdú-Bihar County was 13 872, of whom 1 214 held a college or university degree. The number of skilled jobseekers showed a 24.1 % decrease compared to the base period, which means that, on average, their number was 4 403 lower in the registers of district offices. In the period under review, the share of skilled jobseekers with a college or university degree increased by 26.4% compared to the base period. During this period, there were, on average, 437 more skilled jobseekers holding college or university degrees registered at employment departments of district offices.
In the under-25 age group, there were 2 803 jobseekers registered at district offices during the period under review, and their number fell by 1 479 persons compared to the base period. There was a 5.9 % (401 people) decrease in the number of unemployed people aged 55 or over in the period under review, when the number of jobseekers aged 55 or over on the registers of employment departments of district offices averaged 6435. The average proportion of people under 25 was 14.1% among the total number of jobseekers, while the average proportion of those aged 55 and over exceeded 30 %. The average rates for the previous year were at similar levels for both groups (16.2 % and 25.9 %, respectively), but the share of young people fell by 2.2 percentage points, while the share of older people increased by 6.3 percentage points compared to the base period.
The average number of first-time jobseekers in the county for the period under review was 1880, which is 29.2 % (776 people) lower than in the base period. The proportion of registered first-time jobseekers among all jobseekers was 9.4 % during the period under review, which was 0.6 percentage points lower than in the base period. Graduates from colleges or universities accounted for 5.4 % of first-time jobseekers, representing 102 people on average in the period under review. The proportion of college or university graduates among first-time jobseekers was 6.9% in the base period.
In Hajdú-Bihar County, the number of jobseekers who had been unemployed for more than one year during the period under review increased by 6.5 %, or 462 people, compared to the base period. Some 38 % of all jobseekers had been registered for more than one year during the period under review, which was 11 percentage points higher than the figure for the base period. The average number of jobseekers who had been unemployed for more than one year was 7 576 in the period under review.
In the third quarter of 2021, a total of 7 011 people were registered in the county’s employment registration system, 1 522 fewer than during the same period of the previous year, which represents a decline of 7.8 %.
In the case of first-time entrants, a decline of 27.6 % (310 people) was observed compared to the base period. This means that, during the period under review, a total of 813 new entrants were registered by employment departments of district offices.
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County
The population of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County numbered 363 646 on 1 January 2021, and declined by 0.9 % compared to the previous year. Based on the KSH Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the population aged 15-64 numbered 227 300 in the third quarter of 2021. 166 800 of them were economically active, which is 1.5 % fewer than the data for the same period of the previous year. The participation rate (the ratio of economically active people to the population aged 15-64) rose by 0.2 percentage points, thus reaching 73.4 %.
In the third quarter of the year, the number of employed people was 156 200, i.e. 68.7 % of the population aged 15-64. The employment rate was up 1.3 percentage points in the county over the year.
The unemployment rate, as defined by the KSH, increased by 1.5 percentage points compared to the equivalent period of the previous year, standing at 6.4 % in the third quarter of 2021.
The largest number of people in employment in the county were working in the following sectors of economy: industry, followed by human health and social care activities; education; public administration, defence and compulsory social security; trade; and agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
The largest employers in the county, those employing more than 250 workers, are active in the manufacture, assembly or repair of electronic equipment, household appliances and agricultural machinery, and in the production of food products. There are also a number of major employers in the health sector. The Szolnok and Jászberény regions were the most economically developed parts of the county. In Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County, in
the third quarter of 2021, the average number of jobseekers included in the register of the Government Office was 14 000. Their number fell by 24.3 % compared to the previous year.
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County
According to data from KSH, the population of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County as at 1 January 2021 was 545 000, down by 3 700 year on year. That accounted for 5.6 % of the population of Hungary.
Based on the results of the KSH quarterly labour force survey, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County had, in the third quarter of 2021, 270 000 economically active people of its population aged 15-74, which numbered 416 100, representing an activity rate of 64.9 %. A total of 246 600 people were employed in the county, which was 59.3 % of the county’s population. There were 23 300 unemployed people, representing an unemployment rate of 8.6 %.
In 2021, the average number of registered jobseekers in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County was 27 560, 7.2 % lower than one year before.
For years now, there have been more male than female jobseekers. At county level, the 14 082 men represented 51.1 % of all registered jobseekers, while the average number of female jobseekers was 13 478 in the same period.
As regards educational levels, the average number of jobseekers with at most a primary school education was 14 500, which accounted for more than half of all jobseekers during the period under review. A total of 12 131 jobseekers (44.0 %) had completed secondary school, whereas 961 (3.5 %) had completed higher education. The percentage of the various education levels within jobseekers barely changed. The number of people with a secondary education fell the most in one year (-9.6%).
The total average of 17 871 jobseekers without professional qualifications (based on classification according to education) was equal to 64.8 % within the total number of jobseekers during the period under review. Their number was 6.8 % lower than a year earlier.
On average in 2021, the proportion of people over 60 (3 901 people, 14.2 %) and that of people between 21 and 25 (3 563, 12.9 %) were predominant. The largest decrease in number (-45.4 %) took place among the youngest age group (under 18), while an increase of 15.6 % took place in the number of the oldest age group (over 60).
Most unemployed people (89.0 %, or 24 500 people) had been blue-collar workers and 3 044 had been white-collar workers, before becoming jobseekers.
In 2021, an average of 3 204 first-time jobseekers featured in the county’s register, representing 11.6 % among the total number of jobseekers. Of these, 118 had higher education degrees. The total number of young people fell by 10.6 percent in one year, equal to 0.4 percentage points.
In the period under review, an average of 8 441 people had been included in the jobseekers’ register for a longer period, which means that 30.6 % of all registered jobseekers had found no employment for over a year. Their number and proportion within jobseekers also increased compared to the base period.
In the county, on average more than half of the jobseekers registered in the period under review (15 750 people) were provided passive aid, when meeting certain requirement under the law. The majority of them received social benefits, and a smaller number of them received jobseeker’s aid.
Hajdú-Bihar County
In 2021, employers in Hajdú-Bihar County registered a total of 24 296 new vacancies, which was 5 864 fewer than one year before, representing a decline of 19 %. Reported demand for subsidised labour declined by 19.8 % compared to the base period. Therefore, during the period under review, a total of 20 168 subsidised jobs were recorded in the database of the employment departments of district offices.
As for non-subsidised jobs, employers registered 691 fewer jobs than in the base period; thus, there were altogether 4 128 non-subsidised jobs available in the registers of district offices in the period under review.
The total number of vacancies in the period under review was 56 491, representing a decrease of 27.3 % on the base period.
A total of 64.9 % of registered new vacancies (13 081 vacancies) were offered in public administration, defence and the statutory system of social security. The corresponding rate in the previous year was 48.6%.
The proportion of newly notified jobs in 2021 was 6 % or more in sectors such as manufacturing (6 %), accommodation and commerce (6.1 %) and trade and repair of motor vehicles (6.8 %). In the rest of the sectors, the proportion remained below 5 %.
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County
In Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County, a total of 15 700 vacancies were notified in 2021, nearly one quarter of them in the area around Szolnok.
Seven tenths of all job opportunities were simple jobs requiring no qualifications, including 7 200 jobs in transport and services, 2 900 jobs in industry, construction and agriculture, and 900 in cleaning type of jobs. In addition, a significant number of workers (at least 100 people) were sought for jobs such as shop assistant, baker, locksmith, bartender, other administrator, clothing machine operator, cook, bricklayer, and educational assistant.
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County
In 2021, a total of 43 582 vacancies were notified by employers in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, 88.6 % of which (38 608 vacancies) were open to unskilled jobseekers. A total of 50.2 % of the 4 973 skilled jobs required qualifications from primary education, and 40.4 % of them required secondary vocational qualifications linked to primary education. In both groups, the notified positions required mainly qualifications for small and large-scale workshop activities. The most typical job profiles (min. 80 persons) in the skilled jobs included: meat industry worker, lorry driver, baker, cook, structural locksmith, shop assistant.
Hajdú-Bihar County
District offices in Hajdú-Bihar County registered 28 069 new jobseekers in 2021. 14.6 % of newly registered jobseekers came from the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, 7.2 % from manufacturing and 5.3 % from trade and motor vehicle repair. The occupations most sought after by jobseekers included the following: other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified (FEOR code 9239, 5 364 people), shop assistant (FEOR code 5113, 2 302 people), general office administrator (FEOR code 4112, 1 468 people), other cleaner and helper (FEOR code 9119, 1 028 people), institutional cleaner and helper (FEOR code 9112, 989 people).
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County
In 2021, the average number of registered jobseekers was 14 700 in the county, over a quarter of whom were registered in the area of Szolnok. At the same time, only about 6-7 % of the county’s jobseekers lived in the Mezőtúr and Tiszafüred areas. Their ratio to the working age population is the most favourable in the Jászberény district, while it is the highest in the Kunhegyes district.
Almost half of the jobseekers were looking for simple unskilled jobs, in particular simple service or transport jobs. Some 15.7 % of jobseekers sought work in trade or services, including 7.4 % of the total number of jobseekers as shop assistants (this is the most sought-after occupation among jobseekers). Compared to trade, a slightly smaller proportion of jobseekers were attracted to the sectors of industry and construction, especially into positions such as bricklayer, locksmith, painter and varnisher, and welder.
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County
In 2021, 39 487 people were entered in the county register of the employment office in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, 13.1 % of whom were registered as first-time jobseekers.
More than half of the registered jobseekers were looking for simple unskilled jobs, in particular simple service, transport or similar jobs. The jobs most in demand among jobseekers during the period under review were: other simple service and transport occupations not elsewhere classified; shop assistant; general office administrator; other cleaner and helper; simple industrial occupations; doormen, caretakers, simple guard; institutional cleaner and helper; simple agricultural occupation; bricklayer.
Bács-Kiskun County
In 2021, Bács-Kiskun County was in general characterised by a declining population, increasing employment and decreasing unemployment.
On 1 January 2021, Bács-Kiskun County, the largest county in Hungary, had a population of 500 000[1], 0.4 % less than a year earlier.
In the third quarter of 2021, Labour Market Survey of the Central Statistical Office (KSH)[2] showed that the number of employed and unemployed persons alike increased compared to data for the third quarter of 2020. In the third quarter of 2021, 66.5 % of the population aged 15-74 in Bács-Kiskun County, 250 900 people, were economically active, 1.7 % more than a year earlier. The participation rate was 0.5 percentage points above the national figure. The employment rate was 63.4 % and the unemployment rate was 4.7 %; the former was identical to the national average and the latter was 0.8 percentage points higher. Economically inactive people numbered 126 600, which is 7 500 fewer than a year earlier. The number of people in employment in Bács-Kiskun County, based on data from KSH for the third quarter of 2021 was 130 400 people; 5.0 % more than a year earlier. Also according to KSH data, in the third quarter of 2021, the average monthly gross salary of employed people was HUF 362 000, representing an increase of 8.1 % against the same period of the previous year, yet remaining well below the national average (HUF 67 000 lower). Including the county seat, Bács-Kiskun County had 111 400 business organisations in its register at the end of September 2021, the vast majority of which (72.2 %) were self-employed.
According to data from the National Employment Service (NFSZ), in the third quarter of 2021, the closing number of registered jobseekers was 12 132, on average, in Bács-Kiskun County, down by 29.5 % compared to the same period in the previous year.
Among registered jobseekers, the average monthly number of first-time jobseekers in the above period was 825; their proportion was 6.8 % on average. The average number of first-time jobseekers fell by 36.4 % compared to the same period in 2020.
Békés County
The population of Békés County was 326 500 on 1 January 2021, which is the result of a continued decline, with an additional fall of 1.2 % (4 000 people) against the previous year.
Based on by KSH Labour Force Survey data for the third quarter of 2021, the economically active population aged 15-74 numbered 156 100, with the participation rate standing at 63.1 %. Of the active population, 147 000 people were in employment, while 9 000 were unemployed. In Békés County, the employment rate in the age group of 15-74 was 59.5 % at the end of the third quarter, which 0.9 percentage points lower than a year earlier. The number of the unemployed in the 15-74 year old category, according to the ILO definition, amounted to 9 000 persons, which is 300 persons (3.2 %) fewer than a year earlier.
Based on data for the third quarter of 2021, the average number of jobseekers registered on closing days in the NFSZ’s register was 13 026 people in Békés County, representing a 10.4 % decrease compared to the same period of the previous year.
In the period under review, 8.8 % of jobseekers were first-time jobseekers; changes in their number followed the same trend as the total number of jobseekers, given that the number of young people also showed an decrease against the same period of the previous year.
37.7 % of all jobseekers had primary education (8 forms or less), 29.3 % had obtained a qualification at a skilled workers’ training school, another 28.1 % had passed the secondary school leaving examination, and 4.9 % held a college or university degree. Among first-time jobseekers, 31.7 % had primary education (8 forms or less) only, while another 16.9 % had a vocational qualification, 46.9 % had passed the secondary school leaving examination, and a further 4.5 % held a college or university degree.
From a geographical perspective, the number of jobseekers was the highest in the Békéscsaba district (2 657 people), the Mezőkovácsháza district (2 032 people) and Békés district (1 852 people). In those areas of the county where the labour market situation is worse, the composition of jobseekers by level of education also tends to be less favourable than the county and national average. Based on average data for the period under review, the decrease in the average number of jobseekers against the same period of the previous year was the largest in the Szarvas district (29.3 %) and in the Gyula district (14.1 %).
Csongrád-Csanád County
According to data from the KSH, the population of Csongrád-Csanád County on 1 January 2021 was 395 617, down 0.7 % year on year.
Based on the KSH Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2021, of the county’s population aged 15-74 (298 000), 64 %, 190 800 people, were economically active. Of them 186 100 were present as employed and 4 700 were present as unemployed on the labour market. The number of people in employment increased by 0.3 %, while the number of the unemployed fell by 30 % compared to the same period of 2020. The rate of decline was more significant for the unemployed, more than three times the national average. The employment rate reached 62.5 % and the unemployment rate fell to 2.4 %. Employment in the county was 1.0 percentage points less, and the unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points better, than the national average. Of the population group under review, 107 000 people were economically inactive, by 3 000 persons less than a year earlier.
In the first three quarters of 2021, the average gross monthly earnings of full-time employees amounted to HUF 366 000, while the average monthly net earnings excluding family allowances was HUF 243 000. Both gross and net average earnings were 9.7 % higher than a year earlier, meaning that, in terms of this growth rate, the county ranks 6th among counties and the capital. Wages were 15 % lower than the national average and a nearly by a third less than in the capital city.
Data from the NFSZ register for 2021 showed much more favourable evolution than in the previous year, when the negative economic environment caused by the coronavirus outbreak resulted in a 24 % increase in the number of jobseekers in Csongrád-Csanád County. In 2021, the average monthly number of registered jobseekers in the county was just over 6 000 (6 035), which was 2 379, or 28 %, lower than the level a year earlier.
The monthly average number of women in the register fell to 3 170, thus they accounted for 52.5 % of all jobseekers. The number of women in the register dropped by 29 % and that of men by 27.5 % over one year. Of all jobseekers, 26 % (1585 people) had primary level education or lower, while 1 557 (26 %) had completed a skilled workers training school or a vocational school. 1 477 jobseekers (24 %) had completed studies at a secondary vocational school or a vocational grammar school, while 707 (12 %) had passed the secondary school-leaving examination at a grammar school. In Csongrád County 12 % of jobseekers, or 708 people per month on average, held a degree from higher education.
The number of registered first-time jobseekers also fell more sharply in one year. In 2021, their average number fell from 658 in the base period to 412, which represents a decrease of 37.5 %. On average, first-time jobseekers accounted for 6.8 % of all registered jobseekers, 1.0 percentage points lower year on year.
The number of registered first-time jobseekers showed a slight increase over the year. In 2020, their average number increased from 636 (in the base period) to 658, which represents a 3.5 % rise. On average, first-time jobseekers accounted for 7.8 % of all registered jobseekers, 1.6 percentage points lower year on year.
[1] KSH Counties in Focus, Third quarter of 2021, Bács-Kiskun county
[2] According to the criteria of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Bács-Kiskun County
In 2021, 19 971 new vacancies were registered with employment departments in Bács-Kiskun County, 26.2 % of which concerned workfare schemes. By the end of 2021, the number of new jobs coming from the primary labour market was 14 732; employers did not indicate a need for subsidy for 68.0 percent of their labour needs.
Excluding workfare schemes, most of these vacancies were full-time jobs, two thirds of them required no vocational qualification. The manufacturing sector accounted for 29.8 % of the jobs to be filled, but there was also a significant demand for labour in sectors such as trade, motor vehicle repair, and administrative and service support. A significant number of people were on demand in positions such as simple industrial, service and transport occupations, shop assistants, hand-held packers, livestock farmers, simple agricultural occupations, kitchen helpers, general office administrators, simple construction work occupations, meat processing person, institutional cleaners and helpers, as well as lorry drivers and truck drivers. Almost one third of all vacancies were concentrated in the area surrounding the county town, Kecskemét, but notifications of over a thousand vacancies were registered in the areas surrounding Baja, Kiskunfélegyháza, Kalocsa and Kiskőrös as well.
Békés County
In 2021, employers in Békés County reported 20 200 vacancies to employment departments of district offices. In geographical terms, most of the notified vacancies were registered in the territories of Békéscsaba, Gyula, and Szarvas districts.
70.1 % of the notified vacancies required only primary education, 25.3 % required a secondary education (typically a secondary vocational qualification), while 1.3 % required a college or university degree.
Most of the vacancies reported were in the public administration, defence, compulsory social security; manufacturing industry; trade, repair of motor vehicles; accommodation services; catering; and construction sectors. A large proportion of vacancies in public administration were offered under workfare schemes.
Csongrád-Csanád County
In 2021, some 17 100 vacancies were notified by employers in Csongrád-Csanád County, which was 8 % (1 500 people) lower than the demand for workers recorded a year earlier. No subsidy was requested by employers for 44 % of all reported vacancies, which represented 7 500 jobs in 2021, while the number of subsidised jobs was approximately 9 600. Of the available vacancies, nearly half were offered in the area of Szeged (8 300), 14 % around Makó (2 400), and 11 % around Hódmezővásárhely.
68.5 % of the vacancies were open to those with primary education, whereas 19 % required skilled workers’ qualifications, 10.5 % required secondary education and 2 % a college or university degree. Concerning sectors, jobs registered in our system came from: public administration (workfare schemes) (32 %), industry (including construction) (21 %, 4 100), trade (8 %), accommodation services and catering (4 % each), transport, human health, and administrative and service support activities.
In terms of occupations, in 2021, most vacancies were in occupations such as cleaner, lorry driver, hand packer, load worker, shop assistant, kitchen helper, office administrator, other administrator, bartender, cook, locksmith, bricklayer.
Bács-Kiskun County
In 2021, of the registered jobseekers in Bács-Kiskun County, 55.2 % were women and 44.8 % were men. The majority of jobseekers, 57.8% belonged to the 25–54 age group, while 31.2 % of jobseekers were aged 55 or over, and 11.0 % were under 25. The majority of registered jobseekers (57.0 %) had completed secondary school, 37.1 % had completed only primary education, while 5.9 % held a college or university degree. Nearly one third (29.0 %) of registered jobseekers were unskilled. In the period under review, jobseekers having been registered for longer than a year represented 34.4 %.
In absolute terms, the Kecskemét district had the largest number of jobseekers on record (3 682 people per month on average); however, the average ratio of registered jobseekers to the economically active population was above the county average (5.4 %) in the districts of Bácsalmás, Kalocsa, Jánoshalma, Kunszentmiklós, Kiskunmajsa és Kiskunhalas.
Békés County
In each month in 2021, an average of 1 400 jobseekers were entered in the register of the unemployed in Békés County. Their previous employment was mostly in agriculture, manufacturing, trade, motor vehicle repair and public administration, defence and compulsory social security sectors.
In terms of geographical distribution, most registered jobseekers lived in the district of Békéscsaba, the county seat. On average, 20.3 % of the county’s registered jobseekers, approximately 2 600 people, live in this area. Békéscsaba is also one of the county’s hubs with key economic potential, so despite having the highest number of jobseekers in the county, the ratio of registered jobseekers to the economically active population remains below the county average. While in 2021 the average rate of jobseekers was 8.1 % in Békés County, in the area of Békéscsaba it was 6.7 %. The lowest number of jobseekers in the county was recorded in the area of Szarvas and Gyomaendrőd, where the average annual number of jobseekers was 559 and 834, respectively. After Békéscsaba, the Mezőkovácsháza and Békés districts had the highest number of registered jobseekers: 2 004 and 1 798, respectively. The ratio of jobseekers to the economically active population was 11.5 % in the Békés district and 12.4 % in the Mezőkovácsháza district. Within the county, the highest ratio of jobseekers was in the Sarkad district (14.8 %).
In 2021, 73.0 % of jobseekers registered in Békés County held some kind of a vocational qualification. The most common qualifications among jobseekers were: chainsaw operator, cleaner, kitchen helper, carpenter, machine locker, welder, bricklayer, light machine operator, agricultural machine repairer, women’s clothing maker, room painter and wallpaperer, forklift driver, shop assistant, hairdresser, waiter, cook, catering salesperson, food and chemical goods salesperson, bodyguard and security guard, social worker and nurse, car mechanic, dealership shop manager.
Csongrád-Csanád County
In Csongrád-Csanád County, there were 20 000 registered jobseekers in 2021, as many were on the register of jobseekers, a quarter, or 6 500 less than in the previous year. Of the affected population, 44 % (8 800 people) live in Szeged, 15 % (3 000 people) in Makó, and 12 % live in Hódmezővásárhely. Of the newly registered jobseekers, 26 % had completed 8 years of primary education or less, 24 % were skilled workers, 39 % had passed the secondary school-leaving examination, while 11 % held a college or university degree. Of the headcount affected, 52 % were women, 9 % (1 872 people) were first-time jobseekers, while 5 500 people, 27 %, were over 50 years of age. Concerning sectors, most of the newly registered jobseekers came from sectors such as trade, industry, accommodation services, or catering. The most frequent occupations among newly registered jobseekers included: shop assistant, office administrator, cleaner, lorry driver, bartender, cook, kitchen helper, waiter, forklift driver, locksmith, manual packer, security guard, painter and varnisher.