Hungarian government loophole: Guest workers can still come to Hungary

The Hungarian government’s recent regulations on guest worker recruitment may seem like a significant shift towards limiting guest workers, but loopholes in the new policies ensure that the inflow of non-EU workers won’t dry up entirely. Despite reducing the annual guest worker quota and narrowing the list of eligible countries, exceptions for major economic projects and alternative pathways still exist.

Guest worker regulations

As G7 writes, Hungary’s recent tightening of rules on the recruitment of guest workers has sparked debate, but its overall economic impact is expected to be minimal. The government announced a reduction in the annual guest worker quota to 35,000 for 2025, down from 65,000, emphasising a policy of limiting foreign workers. This reflects Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s pledge to ensure Hungary remains “neither a country of guest workers nor migrants.”

The exceptions

The new rules restrict eligible non-EU countries to those with readmission agreements, significantly narrowing the list to Georgia and Armenia. However, the late addition of the Philippines as an approved sending country can be explained as a practical adjustment to labour market needs. While these changes align with a politically rational narrative, the macroeconomic impact of fewer guest workers is expected to remain limited.