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