History of the Creation of Hungary’s Unified Public Employment Program and Its Main Characteristics

Abstract

A previous system of community service in the public interest was replaced in 2011 in Hungary with a “public employment” system, in which the government temporarily employs disadvantaged, unemployed people who are healthy and able to work and who are within the age limits for working, but who, for whatever reason, have not had a stable workplace and have therefore relied on government subsidies, such as welfare without employment. Under the new program, these citizens have been gainfully employed by the government for a set period of time. The goal of public employment is to give a path for those workers who have been unemployed for a long time, and are disadvantaged in some way, to re-enter (or enter) the private job market. Workers are employed under favorable, “sheltered” conditions, however ones that begin to approach the conditions they can expect in the private market. All this helps the employed workers to improve their employability, as well as to maintain and improve their work skills. Today, the public employment system is not targeted primarily at those with severe disabilities. However, the regulations which establish this program do name members of this group as a target for the program, if they are currently undergoing rehabilitation.