The company is calling on the government to launch immediate professional consultations involving major employers and employer representative organizations before implementing the measure.

The planned restriction by the new Hungarian government would ban the mass import of third-country guest workers and instead aim to bring inactive domestic workers into the labor market. WHC said the move has raised serious concerns in the corporate sector, warning that a sudden restriction on guest workers could undermine growth plans, destabilize the current market and directly endanger tens of thousands of jobs held by Hungarian workers.

WHC Group, which employs 9,000 people at group level, said guest workers currently help compensate for Hungary’s long-standing structural labor shortage.

“Guest workers employed in Hungary compensate for the structural labor shortage that has existed for years. If they fall out of the system, production chains will be interrupted, new shifts cannot be launched, and large international companies will be forced to reconsider their presence in Hungary. This puts the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Hungarians working there, and the stability of the economy, at risk,” said Viktor Göltl, managing director of WHC Group.

According to WHC, the inactive population cited by the government, estimated at 400,000 people, or more commonly around 300,000 in statistics, cannot provide an immediate solution to companies’ day-to-day labor needs.

The company said this long-term inactive group is not currently mobilizable, as many people in it face serious health, social or structural disadvantages. Turning them into productive workers would require a complex, long-term effort involving both the government and companies, including rehabilitation, retraining and gradual social and labor market integration.

WHC said that even if such a process were launched systematically this year, it would take at least five to 10 years, and in some regions possibly several generations, before this group could become a fully productive and independent labor pool.

Companies Think Domestic Workers Not Enough to Meet Labor Needs – Survey

To assess the market impact of the proposed rules, WHC conducted an anonymous survey among Hungarian companies between May 7 and 15, 2026. A total of 157 companies of varying size and revenue participated. Nearly 70% of respondents generate annual revenue above HUF 10 billion, while more than 65% are medium-sized or large companies employing more than 250 people.

The results show that the employment of third-country workers has become an unavoidable part of corporate operations in Hungary, WHC said. Some 71.3% of respondents, or 112 companies, said that under current labor market conditions it would be impossible to meet their labor needs using Hungarian workers alone.

The issue is especially critical for large employers. WHC said a significant majority of companies employing more than 1,000 people, among the country’s most important employers, gave the same response.

The survey also found that 37.6% of participating companies consider it extremely difficult to find and retain Hungarian workers in the current market, while a further 53.5% described the task as difficult.

Another concern is that 81.5% of respondents, or 128 companies, said they are unable to recruit and employ third-country workers using only their own resources. They said qualified labor service provider partners are essential for this process.

WHC said the stability of the economy, the retention of foreign direct investment and the protection of existing Hungarian jobs can only be secured through a predictable and gradual labor market strategy aligned with market realities.

The group is urging the government to open immediate and substantive consultations with major employers and employer advocacy organizations before political decisions are finalized.