Wage demands for entry-level employees already above 400,000 forints

Some employers may be surprised by the figure, but according to a recent survey of 2,500 people by job portal Zyntern, the average net salary requirement for young people starting their careers is 418,421 forints. Rebeka Bujáki, who is familiar with the survey, added that two years ago the figure was 321,000 forints, and last year 378,000 forints. IT specialists demand the most, almost 500,000 forints.

Among the benefits, bonuses lead the way, but training, development and travel allowances are also at the top of the list. However, company car, sporting opportunities and team-building events are not such big magnets.

In light of this, it is not surprising that for the third year in a row, salary is the most important factor for young people choosing a job, followed by work-life balance and a good team. They are less concerned about the company's level of AI adoption, just as social media presence is less important.

49% of young people complained that employers do not respond to job applications. 62 percent said they would not reapply to an employer who did not respond to their job application.

For newcomers, international corporations are the most attractive, perhaps because they offer a tempting combination of good pay - stability - career abroad. Jobs in the public sector and the start-up world are the least sought after by those surveyed. The former because of excessive bureaucracy, the latter because of insecurity," said the researchers.

Internal labour market at Magyar Telekom

The answer to labour shortages and long-term staff retention can be for companies to encourage internal movements, i.e. to fill a new position from within, even with colleagues from other disciplines. At Magyar Telekom last year, 500 people applied for an internal vacancy, of which 90 were offered a new position," says Ágnes Sziget, the company's head of talent management and employer branding. The advantage of coming from within is that they know the company culture, they feel safe and the organisation can build a realistic picture of their work history. However, they have the disadvantage of not being as professionally ready as professionals from the external market, which means they take longer to settle into their new role and require more flexibility from managers. Ágnes Sziget noted that the key to success for a company can be to move to skill-based recruitment, i.e. not looking for relevant professional experience and achievements, but for the skills needed to fill the position.

The expert stressed that great attention must be paid to shaping the mindset of managers. If someone from their team applies for another job within the company, they should not be seen as disloyal, they should look at the big picture, the interests of the company, instead of the interests of their team. And if the employee is unsuccessful in their application, do not break trust with the manager or other team members.

Care should also be taken to ensure that employees tell their manager in good time that they have applied for another job. And make sure that unsuccessful applications do not discourage them. Internal movements also help to retain young workers. They do not want to stay in the same job for a long time. A lateral move may be appropriate for them.  

Desires and realities in the IT job market

Tomek Bujok, managing director of the job portal No fluff jobs, gave some interesting figures on the current situation in the IT job market. According to a survey by KPMG, 64 percent of CEOs expect workers to return to the office by 2026. In contrast, 96 percent of IT job seekers are looking for a job where they can work part or all of their time in a home office. Artificial intelligence has also shaken up the job market, with 94 percent of IT candidates using AI, 43 per cent working faster and more efficiently, and being able to take on more additional project work alongside their main job. And 70 percent of IT specialists would like to receive AI training from their employer.

There is also a big contrast between employers' and workers' views on salary transparency, with only 13% of job portals including salary information in their advertisements, while 88% of candidates would like to see at least a salary range or minimum salary in their job advertisements. If only so that they don't waste each other's time if their ideas are far apart. Tomek Bujok reminded companies that, according to the EU's pay transparency directive, the candidate must be told in the application process what salary he or she can expect and the company cannot ask how much he or she earned in a previous job. The No Fluff Jobs site also requires advertisements to include salary information.

Worth having employees from the Philippines

The hot topic of the Hungarian labour market was the subject of a discussion between WHC temporary employment agency and Melecs, a manufacturing company based in Győr. Do we need guest workers and if so, what to look for in recruitment and onboarding. Unable to find the right number of qualified Hungarian workers locally, Melecs Győr turned to the Philippines. Although they had previously had foreigners - Ukrainians - working for them, the recruitment process was preceded by a year of benchmark research and preparation.

HR Manager Katalin Kissné Sághegyi said that recruiting and hiring Filipino workers is not more expensive than hiring Hungarians, if you include the costs associated with the higher turnover of Hungarians - new advertising, managers' working hours, training costs, etc.

An important part of the project was to prepare Hungarian workers, to make them understand that foreigners do not take their jobs, on the contrary, they keep production here.

The HR manager told us that the work ethic of the Filipinos is outstanding. Some technicians were trained in three days, whereas in many cases it takes 2-3 months. Katalin Kissné Sághegyi sees the Filipinos pulling the Hungarians up. They are more dedicated, they want to learn English.