Hungarian unemployment at 4.7% as job searches grow longer

According to a KSH flash release on 25 September, an average of 4,654,000 people aged 15–74 were in work in Hungary in August 2026. There were 229,000 unemployed, an unemployment rate of 4.7%. The monthly figure is a model estimate; detailed breakdowns are available only for three-month data.

The three-month picture

In June–August, average employment was 4,655,000, down 24,000 from a year earlier. The domestic primary labour market employed 4,467,000 people (36,000 fewer), public works schemes 66,000 and work abroad 122,000. The employment rate for 15–64-year-olds was 75.4%, unchanged from a year earlier.

Over the same period the number of unemployed rose to 235,000 and the rate to 4.8%. The rate was 5.1% for women and 4.5% for men. KSH says women's job prospects are held back by labour demand being concentrated in a few sectors. The office notes that several of the year-on-year changes are within the sampling margin of error.

Job searches are taking longer

Job searches lasted 11.7 months on average. The share of people looking for work for more than a year rose 4.2 percentage points to 33.7%, while the share searching for less than three months fell 3 points to 42.6%. The National Employment Service registered 219,000 jobseekers at the end of August, 1.5% fewer than a year earlier.

Monthly and three-month rates cover different periods, so the gap between 4.7% and 4.8% does not by itself indicate an improvement. KSH will publish September data on 22 October.