Press release, 20.05.2025.
The revision of earnings statistics
The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) has revised its earnings data published for the period between January 2019 and February 2025. As a result of the revision, the previously published data have not changed significantly, for example, the value of full-time average gross earnings at the national economy has essentially remained unchanged for the whole of 2024, and the 2019 data have changed by 1 percent. In addition, the range of available data is expanding and the publication of data is simplified, in line with user needs.
From 2019, HCSO produces and publishes the monthly earnings and related headcount information from the so-called contribution returns received from the National Tax and Customs Administration and, for budgetary organisations, from the data received from the Hungarian State Treasury. During the current revision, the data from returns received subsequently or corrected by employers subsequently have been transferred and the processing algorithm has been fine-tuned to more accurately capture statistical concepts. The revision does not result in any significant changes in the national economic data; however, the updated data allow for a more accurate description and understanding of the individual subpopulations.
The revision causes a change of between 0 and 1% in the main indicator of the data release of earnings statistics, i.e. the value of the full-time average gross earnings at the economy-wide level, compared to previously published data. The number of full-time employees increases on average by 0.4% per year.
Concurrently with the revision, the classification of a small part of employees according to TEÁOR'08 is modified, primarily due to the reclassification of fostered workers working at local budgetary organisations, but but the delimitation of those conducting educational and healthcare activities at medical universities also becomes more precise. More detailed information on the classification of TEÁOR is available in the methodological documents.
Concurrently with the revision, but independently of it, the data publication is simplified and the range of data available is expanded, adapting to user needs.
In order to simplify the publication of the data, the focus of the publications is on net earnings, which also includes benefits and exemptions, when publishing the number of employees, under the name ‘net earnings’, and from now on the distinction of employees working less than 60 hours per month will be abolished and they will also be counted among the employees.
The range of data available on the website is extended to meet changing user needs. The so-called ‘Information database’, which provides dynamic queries, now allows users to query the main earnings and headcount data by employer size (by headcount category) and by sector.
The above-mentioned changes apply to data for 2019-2025.
Hungarian Central Statistical Office
H-1024 Budapest, Keleti Károly u. 5-7. Tel./Phone: (+36-1) 345-6000
Postacím/Postal address: P.O.Box 51 Budapest H-1525
http://www.ksh.hu