The jobless rate in Hungary for people between the ages of 15 and 74 stood at 4.3% in May, data released by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) on Thursday show.
In absolute terms, there were 208,900 unemployed. The number of employed reached 4,654,000. The three-month rolling average for the number of employed reached 4,640,400, 32,900 fewer than in the same period a year earlier.
The number of people employed on the primary market stood at 4,448,000, down 53,000 from a year earlier. The number of Hungarians working abroad reached 121,000 and the number of people in fostered work programmes was 71,000.
The employment rate for the 15-64 age group stood at 75.2%.
Data from the National Employment Service (NFSZ) show there were 215,000 registered jobseekers at the end of May, down 3.5% from twelve months earlier.
Jobseekers spent 13.3 months, on average, looking for work, but one-third of the jobless found new positions in under three months. The percentage of jobless who had been looking for work for at least one year reached 36.9%.
Commenting on the data, ING Bank senior analyst Péter Virovácz said there was a significant improvement on the labour market as the number of the employed rose to a seven-month high. The May jobless number is the lowest so far this year but it remains to be seen whether the change will be sustainable, he added. ING Bank maintains its earlier forecast of 4.5% average unemployment for the full year.
Top 5 Articles
What Awaits the Hungarian Economy in 2026 and 2027? April 24, 2026 - Hungary’s Growth Stalls as Inflation Returns to Target Range February 6, 2026
- Consolidating the Good Bilateral Relations May 10, 2026
- Business, Consumer Confidence at Two-Year High in April April 23, 2026
- Long-Standing, Respectful Relations March 25, 2026
