Hungary FM: We Are One of Few with Higher Post-Pandemic Labor Force Participation Than Before

The minister for foreign affairs and trade met the director general of the International Labor Organization. At the press conference after the meeting, Peter Szjjjarto spoke about the economic crises of recent years, how the government has been successfully able to overcome them and the problems that can be anticipated in the future.

International Labor Organization Secretary-General Gilbert Fossoun Hongbo (left) and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto (right) (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)

Hungary has been a member of the International Labor Organization for 102 years, and has recently been re-elected to its governing body. More than 30 people are employed in the ILO's regional office in Budapest, he said.

The meeting also touched on two security crises that pose a major challenge for the international community in protecting and creating jobs. One is the refugee crisis in Europe caused by the war in Ukraine. In this context, Szijjarto pointed out that more than 1.3 million people have arrived in Hungary from Ukraine since the beginning of the fighting, and that the state is still providing support to companies that employ refugees who wish to stay.

It is much better for refugees as well, to be able to work and to have income from work, than to rely on benefits alone,

the minister believes.

The other issue addressed was the migration crisis. On this issue Peter Szijjarto reiterated Hungary's position: 

Help should be taken to where the trouble is, not trouble brought to where there is none.

The foreign minister noted that it is important to take seriously the forecasts indicating that Africa's population will grow significantly in the coming decades, and recalled that some calculations put the increase at 750 million in twenty years.

That is why it is important that the international community implements a comprehensive economic development strategy for Africa, so that African countries are able to provide jobs for their growing populations, because if they cannot create enough jobs and if we cannot create enough jobs in Africa, then there are two possible consequences: either the biggest migration crisis of all time will ensue, or one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of all time,

he warned, adding "we want to avoid both, and in order to manage this, we will continue to work as closely as possible with the ILO".

Cover photo: International Labor Organization Secretary-General Gilbert Fossoun Hongbo and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)