Hungary faces wage transparency delays and minimum wage uncertainty

In Hungary, the implementation of European Union-mandated wage transparency rules is facing delays. While the EU directive requires member states to transpose these rules into national law by June 7, 2026, Hungary has yet to publish the relevant legislation. This delay has impacted employer preparedness; data from the job portal Profession.hu shows that the proportion of job advertisements including salary information has dropped from a peak of 25-27% last year to approximately 22-23% this year.

Separately, concerns are rising regarding the sustainability of the three-year minimum wage agreement signed in November 2024. Although the contract originally planned for significant increases through 2027, the 2026 scheduled increase was adjusted from 13% to 11% due to economic conditions. Critics suggest that the planned 14% increase for 2027 may also become unattainable given the sluggish GDP growth, which was estimated at only 0.3% for 2025.