Peter Cseresnyés, secretary of state for employment, speaking at the seminar. Photo: NGM

How to create more and better legitimate and safe jobs in the future was the focus of a seminar organized by the Hungarian Ministry for National Economy and the International Labor Organization (ILO) this week in Budapest.

As ILO Budapest Office Director Antonio Graziosi pointed out, since the creation of the ILO office in Budapest in 1993, 11 Central and Eastern European countries have joined the European Union. This, however, has not automatically resolved the countries’ employment and labor challenges. Hungary and the other Visegrád countries show better indicators than the EU average in terms of economic growth and unemployment. Still, major issues exist in relation to low wages, such as gender and other inequalities.

Against this background, the Future of Work initiative offers an opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of the ILO agenda and work to the reality of European countries, also in the context of the current discussion on a new European social pillar.

Participants agreed that, for a sustainable economy and healthy labor market, it is crucial to maintain and safeguard the employability of the workforce, but especially the employability of older workers for as long as possible while they are still on the labor market. For this purpose, knowledge transfer and cooperative learning and working strategies are essential.

Peter Cseresnyés, secretary of state for employment, emphasized that rapid technological development in the 21st century had brought an unprecedented phase of changes. Now we should no longer talk about a transformation, but rather we are witnessing a digital revolution, he said. Cseresnyés added that the economic environment has changed significantly, and new business models based on innovation contribute significantly to labor market changes. The acquisition and ongoing development of digital skills are necessary to enter the labor market,and the preservation of jobs is a prerequisite.

Government official Tamás Jankó mentioned a new program to develop digital skills for 260,000 people in Hungary. The best prevention of early dropout from the labor market is to include digital education and the development of digital skills in the school curriculum, he said.

María Luz Vega Ruiz, ILO Coordinator concluded: “The ILO’s main concern is not only the quantity, but rather the quality of jobs: satisfy the aspirations of human beings, protect the minimum values, the dignity and safety of workers.”