Hungary has quite a traditional working environment. Labour regulations meant that the interests and rights of the employee are usually quite well protected.
Employment at multinational companies in Hungary will mean conditions similar to those in Western Europe and North America. However, smaller companies may offer various levels of conditions depending on their industry and financial capabilities.
A normal working week consists of 40 hours. Overtime is not paid by every company and how this is treated will depend on the type of position, industry and prior agreement with your employer.
The standard number of days of annual leave is 21. The amount of days of holiday will increase according to your age – i.e. the older you are the more days of holiday you get.
Salaries depend on the position and the language knowledge: In administrative positions the initial gross salary is 200,000 - 220,000 HUF/month, it is 230,000 in the financial section and it is 300,000 in the IT sector.
Allowances (Cafeteria system) are getting more and more popular. Therefore, the employer can give allowances like Luncheon voucher, traveller’s cheques, Internet access, travel contribution, school term allowance, etc.
A person is eligible for sick-pay if he/she becomes incapable of work while being enrolled in the national social security system. A person that has fallen ill is entitled to get 15 days of sick-leave annually (this provision does not apply to incapacity due to an occupational disease or an industrial accident pursuant to social insurance regulations). Therefore such person will get a sick-leave for the first 15 days of the period of incapacity for work, instead of sick-pay. An insured person eligible for sick-leave will get sick-pay as from the day following the expiry of sick-leave.
The length of maternity leave in Hungary is 24 weeks. After the expiry of this period there are different types of maternity benefits until the child turns 3 years old.
Maternity allowance may be granted to persons living in the Republic of Hungary, if they
The amount of the maternity allowance as per children is:
In order to lessen the disadvantages of handicapped people, to provide the foundation of their equal opportunities, as well as to form the attitude of the society, the Parliament has created Law XXVI of the year 1998.
Handicap assistance is a monthly cash benefit paid to severely handicapped persons to promote equal opportunities among people.
Right to work is a constitutional right of every Hungarian citizen. In the case of people living with handicaps, this is to be supplemented by entitling them to integrated employment.
If the employment of the handicapped person cannot be realised within the framework of integrated employment, then, in line with the available possibilities, the right to work can be provided for them through the operation of special workplaces, the conditions of which are to be established gradually, but by 1 January 2005 the latest. The protected workplace receives normative support from the central budget.