The Hungarian Minister of Finance announced on 7 August 2018 that the maximum number of third-country nationals who might be employed in Hungary with work permit shall be 55,000. Last year the limitation was 59,000, which means that the maximum number of third-country nationals has been reduced with 4,000. The decision may be surprising, since according to the statistics severe labour shortage is experienced in key sectors and there is a need for the employment of third-country nationals.
However, it must be noted that as of 2016, it is not required to obtain a work permit for the employment of Ukrainian and Serbian citizens in those professions where there are shortage of workforce. Accordingly, the above specified limitation refers only to the employment of third-country nationals with work permit, therefore, the limitation is not applicable for Ukrainian and Serbian citizens working in sectors hit by labour shortages.
By Levente Csengery, Partner, KCG Partners Law Firm
