Press release, 03.12.2020.

Changes in next year’s household surveys

Women’s employment indices may change significantly

The labour survey methodology is changing starting 1 January 2021: beside those working while receiving child care allowance (gyes), child care fee (gyed) also people who have last worked before getting child care benefit, received monetary allowances during their absence and may return to their previous jobs will be considered employed. The change is warranted by the European Union’s changing framework regulation, and increases the number of employed in Hungary by 120-150 thousand, first of all by modifying women’s labour indices.

The Framework regulation for the production of European statistics on persons and households (Integrated European Social Statistics – IESS) and the corresponding executive orders enter into force on 1 January 2021. The regulation is causing changes in several fields of European and national household statistic surveys, but mainly in labour surveys. Due to the methodological changes the review of certain economic activities will alter: beside those working while receiving child care allowance (gyes), child care fee (gyed) also people who have last worked before getting child care benefit, received monetary allowances during their absence and may return to their previous jobs will be considered employed persons. The new methodology based review is increasing Hungary’s employment numbers by 120-150 thousand people, and the employment rate by close to 1.8 – 2-3 percentage points.

Furthermore, the methodological change is having an impact on the survey on students, unpaid family workers, public or seasonal workers, but these won’t generate major changes in employment data.

The HCSO starts publishing data with the new methodology – in accordance with international legislation – when publishing in relation with the January 2021 period and is ensuring timely data comparison when releasing these data.

Hungarian Central Statistical Office

H-1024 Budapest, Keleti Károly u. 5-7. Phone: +36 (1) 345 6000
Postal address: P.O.B. 51 Budapest, H-1525
http://www.ksh.hu