The number of Hungarians working in Austria is slowly recovering to pre-epidemic levels, attracting dozens of skilled and unskilled workers with “dream salaries”. Presumably, the number of Hungarian employees in the neighbouring country will reach its annual peak in July-August and could even break a record this summer.
In May, 98,374 Hungarian citizens were registered with the Austrian social security – a number which is approaching the level of the last lively month in February 2020 before the first wave of the pandemic. At that time, more than 101,000 Hungarians were registered in the Austrian hospitality industry.
Based on forecasts, the Hungarian employment record may break even during the summer,
as the sector still needs a lot of people for the tourist season. Presumably, the number of Hungarians working in Austria will reach its annual peak during July-August.
As for the advertised positions, both skilled and unskilled workers are expected, and in many cases, a minimum knowledge of the language is sufficient.
Without a vocational qualification, you can expect a gross hourly wage of EUR 10; however, in the case of a highly demanded profession, the salary is even higher than that,
depending on the region of the country. It is good to know that in the area close to the Hungarian border, the benefits are much lower than in the other end of the country, in Tyrol or Innsbruck.
The Hungarian news portal Pénzcentrum has collected the latest, highest-paying job offers in Austria, which are the following:
- Factory worker in the food industry: gross €10.64/hour + free accommodation + 13th and 14th month’s salary (approx. €1,600)
- A Hungarian waiter in Tyrol can earn €1,800 net with free accommodation and meals, 13th and 14th month’s salary.
- Heating technicians in Linz: net €2,400 in exchange for working 167 hours a month; accommodation is free. Basic German knowledge required.
- In Tyrol, cleaning buildings can get you a net of €1,300-1,400 per month.
- Locksmith specialists with welding skills are sought in St. Stefan (242 km from Sopron): 5 years of professional experience with a net salary of €2,100-2,500.
- Electrical installation work in Pinkafeld (100 km from Sopron): €2,400-2,500 net.
- Barbecue chef: €2,000 per month in Tyrol, meals and accommodation are free.
- Parcel supplier: €1,900 per month.
- In Kaprun, Hungarian waiters are offered €1,800 net per month. A minimum of 3 years of experience and intermediate German language skills are required.
In Hungary, the labour shortage caused by the uncertainty in the tourism sector can be mostly observed in the capital where hotel operators are working to resolve the situation with wage increases and redeployments. According to Portfolio, despite the significant wage increase in recent months in the sector, there is still a huge labour shortage in the Hungarian hospitality industry.
For the time being, it is not yet known how long the current situation will last as, after a long period of decline, the number of new coronavirus infections has started to increase again in Austria and many other EU countries. Due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, the fourth wave of the pandemic has started in Austria, as a result of which the local committees are proposing to reintroduce different measures depending on the number of cases and the burden on the health system. Currently, the Austrian government continues to adhere to the opening schedule, the next step in which will be realised on 22nd July when further ease of mask-wearing rules can be expected.