34 thousand more people in work than a year earlier
In the period of October–December 2018, the average number of employed people was 4,481 thousand, 34 thousand more than a year earlier. The employment rate of people aged 15–64 increased to 69.5%. There was an improvement both among men and women, but men were characterized by a higher level of employment than women.
The annual average number of the employed was 4,469 thousand in 2018, exceeding by 48 thousand the one in 2017. The employment rate among the population aged 15–64 was 69.2% in 2018, 1.1 percentage points higher than in the previous year.
In October–December 2018, compared to a year before:
The number of employed people increased by 0.8% to 4,481 thousand. The increment in the domestic primary labour market was 73 thousand, while the number of people declaring to work in public employment decreased by 47 thousand, and that of those working at local units abroad changed within the limits of sampling error.
Number of employed people aged 15–74, October–December 2018
| Denomination | Number, thousand persons | Change in headcounta) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| thousand persons | % | ||
| Work in the domestic primary labour market | 4 239.1 | 73.1 | 1.8 |
| Consider themselves public worker | 131.7 | –46.7 | –26.2 |
| Work at local units abroad | 110.5 | 7.5 | 7.3 |
| Total | 4 481.3 | 33.9 | 0.8 |
a) Compared to the same period of the previous year.
4,416 thousand of employed people were aged 15–64, and the employment rate of this age group grew by 0.7 percentage point to 69.5%. The number of the employed among men aged 15–64 increased by 0.3% to 2,415 thousand, and their employment rate rose by 0.5 percentage point to 76.6%. Regarding 15–64 year-old women, the number of the employed grew by 0.6% to 2,001 thousand, and their employment rate by 0.9 percentage point to 62.6%.
Among young people aged 15–24 years, the employment essentially didn’t change, the number of the employed was 303 thousand and the employment rate was 29.8%. In the ‘best working age’, i.e. the age group 25–54 years, the number of employed people and the employment rate changed within the limits of sampling error, the former was 3,411 thousand and the latter 83.8%. In the older, 55–64 age group, the number of the employed increased by 11 thousand to 702 thousand, and their employment rate grew by 2.6 percentage points to 55.6%.
The employment rate of people aged 20–64 – the coverage regarding the development of employment objectives defined in the Europe 2020 Strategy – grew by 0.7 percentage point to 74.7%. The European Union targeted to raise the average employment rate to 75% by 2020; in Hungary, the employment rate of this age group is currently 82.3% for men and 67.1% for women.
The level of employment of the population aged 15–64 changed hardly or within the limits of sampling error in most of the regions. In Budapest, the number of the employed decreased by 16 thousand and the employment rate by 1.1 percentage points, but the employment situation was still the most favourable here, the employment rate was 73.1%. The most significant growth was in Northern Hungary, 1.9 percentage points, where the level of employment even so, 66.1% is low. The proportion of the employed was the lowest in Southern Transdanubia, 65.0%.
Employment among 15–64 year-olds by age groups, October–December 2018
| Age group, year-old | Number | Employment rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousand persons | change, thousand personsa) | % | change, percentage pointa) | |
| 15–24 | 303.3 | –0.2 | 29.8 | 0.4 |
| 25–54 | 3 410.7 | 8.4 | 83.8 | –0.2 |
| 55–64 | 702.4 | 10.5 | 55.6 | 2.6 |
| Total | 4 416.4 | 18.7 | 69.5 | 0.7 |
| Of which: 20–64 | 4 386.4 | 15.6 | 74.7 | 0.7 |
a) Compared to the same period of the previous year.
In January–December 2018, compared to a year before:
The number of the employed increased by 48 thousand to 4,469 thousand. The increment in the domestic primary labour market was 99 thousand, while the number of people declaring to work in public employment decreased by 46 thousand and that of those working at local units abroad fell within the limits of the sampling error, by 5 thousand.
4,411 thousand of the employed belonged to the population aged 15–64, the employment rate of this age group increased by 1.1 percentage points to 69.2%. The rate increased by 1.1 percentage points both for men and women, it was 76.3% for men and 62.3% for women.
All the observed age groups were characterized by a growth in the employment rates, except for young people aged 15–24. The employment rate of young people remained 29.0%, and that of those in the ‘best working age’, the 25–54 age group grew by 0.4 percentage point to 84.1%. The highest increment occurred among the elderly population aged 55–64, their employment rate was by 2.7 percentage points higher, 54.4%.
In the age group 20–64, the rate rose by 1.1 percentage points to 74.4%.