A total of 40pc of German companies operating in Hungary expect demand for employees to rise in 2010, while only 5pc expect their labour demand to decline next year, Chief Consultant Maria Smid of Vienna’s Kienbaum Management Consultants told the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday.
Citing the consultancy’s 2009 survey, prepared jointly with the chamber, of German companies in Hungary, Ms. Smid said that 40pc of the companies polled reported dismissing workers as a result of the financial and economic crisis, while one-third said they had abbreviated working hours. 50pc had already sent employees on paid holiday and another 7pc has such plans.
Only 15pc of companies participating in the survey said they had filed for and received government job-preservation support, while 60pc said they do not plan to resort to such assistance.
The companies surveyed said they plan to raise wages by an average of 3.9pc in 2010, slightly below projected inflatin. They raised wages by 6.2pc this year, above the average increase.
The volume of non-fixed wage elements fell on average 50pc and their share within total wages also fell compared to 2008, reflecting lower bonuses.
Senior managers of the companies with above-average profitability earn 25pc more than their collegues at companies whose profitability is below the average, and employees with a university degree earned on average double the wage of employees without such education.