Hungary: European House at Employment Week 2006

Employment Week is the annual European-level exhibition of employment issues
held in Brussels. The 2006 event was held on 16-18 May and organised for the
13th year. In the past years the ten (relatively) new member states have
discovered the event as well with exhibitors among others from Hungary,
Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, an almost compulsory routine for
the latter as the commissioner responsible for employment in the European
Commission is Czech: Vladimir Spidla, who attended the closing plenary of
the event.

On the Hungarian stand run by the European House under the auspices and with
the support of the Hungarian National Employment Service and the Ministry of
Employment and Labour the about 3000 visitors in three days could learn
about the employment situation in Hungary in general and concrete projects
co-funded by the EU in particular.

Hungary has been characterised by a steady economic expansion with an annual
GDP growth of 4% and an annual productivity increase of above 3 % in 2004.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian labour market was characterised by the absence of
major changes. The positive trends in the economy and the dynamic
restructuring are followed by a relative stagnation of the labour market.
The most important challenge therefore remains the high ratio of the
inactive persons among the working-age population. A relatively low level of
employment (56.8%) was coupled with a low unemployment rate (6.1%) in 2004.
Employment rates in all cohorts remain below the EU average, despite
significant growth in older age groups, particularly among women, partly as
a result of the gradual raising of the retirement age.

Educational attainment is a crucial factor on the Hungarian labour market.
While the employment rate of those with a higher level qualification
corresponds to the respective EU average and their unemployment is lower
than that, the employment prospects of low-skilled people are poorer than in
most other Member States. Certain groups are particularly vulnerable on the
labour market, most importantly the Roma community and disabled people.

The Hungarian stand showcased over a dozen projects in Brussels: from the
reintegration of nurses on maternity leave, through a production school
providing vocational training for youth with no qualifications, to roma
educational programmes and woman enterpreneurs. On the stand visitors could
also taste home-made jam (delicious) cooked within an employment project
designed for elderly women and take home puppets produced under another
employment scheme for disabled people

www.employmentweek.com