Decisions on applications for HUF 8.5 billion in subsidies for more than 8,300 jobseekers have already been taken, the ministry said.

The subsidies target Hungarians under 25, career-starters between the ages of 25 and 30, people over 50, ones without a secondary school education, people who have looked for work for over six months, people who have left fostered worker schemes in the past three months, people living with disabilities, parents raising small children, caregivers and residents of designated small settlements.

Companies that hire people in a single target group are eligible for subsidies covering up to half of the cost of wages and payroll contributions.

The subsidy threshold for new hires who are in two or more of the target groups is 75%.

The subsidies are capped at a monthly HUF 150,000 per full-timer for a period of six months.

Employers in Budapest and surrounding Pest County are ineligible for participation.