No doubt because of the ongoing crisis, an increasing number of employers in Hungary are believed to be violating regulations on work hours, forcing workers to do unpaid overtime. A recent piece on origo.hu illustrates the trend with the case of an employee of a multinational, who said their work contract had been modified at the end of last year, thus introducing flexible (kötetlen) work hours and making it impossible to account for their earlier overtime, while the number of tasks they were responsible for increased as result of layoffs.

Over 10,000 Hungarian businesspeople have offshore companies, and this number is possibly growing, index.hu writes, based on a print-only report in daily Magyar Nemzet. Some experts say that there is now more than Ft 2 trillion (€7.4 billion) worth of Hungarian assets in tax havens. And despite offers of a tax amnesty to those who bring their money "home," few entrepreneurs are doing so, worrying that the tax authorities will come down on them anyway.

The ongoing uproar over forced auctions of residential properties owned by indebted homeowners continued last week, this time with a twist that seems to be equal parts chilling and goofy. According to tabloid Bors, the Budapest Gas Works (Budapesti Gázművek) has threatened to have an apartment belonging to a man named Sándor Horváth (left) auctioned off to cover the debts of a different man named Sándor Horváth.

We always assumed that all the money that has gone into logistic parks and motorways in Hungary would make the country more attractive to foreign investment. And we were right! According to this intriguing report, ongoing improvements in infrastructure - along with the "unique geo-economic advantage[s]" offered by its geographic position - have made Hungary a preferred investment destination for crime syndicates from all over:

Hungary has adequate public infrastructure and storage services (Logistics), providing a strong argument for crime syndicates to pursue their activities there. In order for criminal groups to transform themselves into an integrated organized crime structure, there has to be the necessary infrastructure that will enable them to have a continuous and smooth flow of contraband merchandise, which in turn will provide economies of scale for their operations. Under this assumption, Hungary seems as a perfect destination.