Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Hungary (Ratification: 1984)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding the measures adopted to promote the vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that, as a result of economic growth beginning in 2017, the labour market was revitalised, leading to an increased demand from employers for the employment of persons with reduced capacity to work and persons with disabilities. The expansion of employment for individuals with reduced capacity to work was supported by the Government through European Union programmes. During the reporting period, the employment of persons with disabilities focused on three areas: developing employment; protected employment aimed at rehabilitation implemented by accredited employers; and participation in the open labour market under regular employment contracts for which employers could receive aids and allowances. Regarding developing employment, the previous system of social employment, which included persons with disabilities, was transformed effective 1 April 2017. Developing employment is now recognized as a distinct social service. In 2017, budgetary resources allocated for developing employment reached 5.1 billion Hungarian forints, increasing to 5.4 billion Hungarian forints in 2018. This funding allowed approximately 6,000 persons with disabilities to be supported each year. From 2020 onward, 6,000 to 6,500 persons with disabilities have been supported using budgetary sources of 6.3 billion Hungarian forints in 2021, which increased to 8.2 billion Hungarian forints in 2023 due to additional resources aimed at addressing the rising minimum guaranteed wage. European Union programmes focused on employment rehabilitation also aided in the placement of individuals with reduced capacity to work. For example, the priority project EFOP-1.1.1-15 supported the integration of persons with reduced capacity to work with 17 billion Hungarian forints. Under the project, 15,000 persons with reduced capacity to work were assisted in obtaining employment from 2015 until 30 June 2023. As part of this initiative, training materials for mentors assisting with the employment rehabilitation and placement of persons with reduced capacity to work were developed, with 150 individuals successfully completing the mentor training programme. The Government further indicates that favourable rules effective from 1 January 2021 were introduced for the rehabilitation contribution to enhance the employment of people with reduced capacity to work in the open labour market. Under these rules, employees hired by employers as mentors can be counted towards the 5 per cent mandatory employment rate (covering those assisting with the integration and employment of persons with reduced capacity to work), as well as career starter persons with disabilities or youth with special educational needs based on their prior qualifications, up to the age of 23. These various forms of employment and subsidies have facilitated the placement of persons with reduced capacity to work in the open labour market. The Committee notes that the employment rate of persons with disabilities increased from 18 per cent in 2011 to 44 per cent in 2022; however, this figure remains below the European Union average. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the introduction of the Rehabilitation Card on 1 July 2012 as a new form of support. The card, issued by the national tax authority to eligible persons with disabilities, allowed employers to claim a discount on the social contribution tax for the wages of workers with disabilities. Since 2012, employees have been required to obtain a Rehabilitation Card to benefit from this allowance. Since 2019, employers can assert the social contribution tax allowance in a simplified manner under the tax return procedure. In July 2012, 3,217 employers benefited from this allowance for 5,574 persons with reduced capacity to work. By April 2023, this number rose to 8,200 employers employing 43,000 workers with reduced capacity to work. The Committee notes from the 2022 concluding observations on Hungary’s combined second and third periodic reports that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) noted with concern the very low employment rate of persons with disabilities, particularly in the open labour market, where those employed are mostly in underpaid, unskilled jobs and in sheltered workshops (CRPD/C/HUN/CO/2-3). While noting the progress made over the last decade in the employment rate of the persons with disabilities,the Committee requests the Government to indicate how it periodically reviews its national policy on employment and vocational rehabilitation of persons with disabilities with the aim of increasing their employment rates and promoting their employment in the open labour market. It also requests the Government to provide information, including statistical data, on the impact of the measures taken related to the vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities.

Article 5. Consultation with the social partners. The Committee previously requested the Government to continue providing information on the activities of the National Disability Council. The Government indicates that the National Disability Council was established in 1998 as a direct advisory and proposal-making body of the Government. It serves as a forum for non-governmental organizations and interest representation organizations representing persons with disabilities to express their opinions and recommendations before decisions on disability policy are made. The National Disability Council also reviews draft legislation and bills, and contributes to the preparations of the National Programme for Persons with Disabilities and related action plans, and assesses the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Chairperson of the National Disability Council may invite additional persons to participate in Council meetings upon request from a member or when necessary for discussing an agenda item. The Government indicates that there is no statistical data available concerning the cases investigated by the National Disability Council. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information on the content and outcome of the consultations held with the social partners and organizations representing persons with disabilities on the matters covered by the Convention.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

The Committee notes the observations of the workers’ organizations represented at the National ILO Council which were incorporated in the Government’s report.

Article 2 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. Application of the Convention in practice. The Government provides in its report information on the legislative and regulatory changes made during the reporting period, including the introduction of a more extensive legal definition of “persons with disabilities” through the adoption of the People with Altered Work Capacity Act, which entered into force on 31 December 2011. The Government indicates that its employment support system of workers with disabilities had to be changed because the previous system did not contribute to an increase in the employment ratio. The new support system has established two types of support: transit and durable employment. Transit employment refers to the preparation, for a maximum of three years, of workers suitable for rehabilitation under sheltered conditions in order to return to the open labour market for continuous employment. On the other hand, durable employment refers to the preservation and development of the work capacity, health condition, physical and intellectual capacities of workers with altered work capacity under sheltered conditions, within the framework of employment. The National Disability Council was also expanded during the reporting period through amendments to the Act on Equal Opportunities of Persons with Disabilities, to enable it to represent persons with disabilities more effectively. The Council’s membership expanded to include organizations previously excluded, such as those representing people with psychosocial disabilities, deaf and blind people and those with speech impairments.

Among the various targeted measures adopted to enable persons with disabilities to obtain employment, the Committee notes from the report that, on 1 July 2012, the Rehabilitation Card was introduced as a new form of support. The card is issued by the national tax authority to eligible persons with disabilities and, with the Rehabilitation Card, the employer may claim a discount from the social contribution tax of wages of the worker with disabilities. The Committee notes with interest that the number of workers employed with Rehabilitation Cards has gradually increased during the reporting period, from 9,647 in January 2013 to 22,655 in January 2014 and 30,199 in January 2015.

The Committee notes the observations of the workers’ organizations represented at the National ILO Council indicating that the Government’s report did not contain any data on the number of persons classified as persons with altered work capacity before and after the changes made during the reporting period or the services provided to them before or after 2011. They add that employment rehabilitation is included among the Government’s objectives, but there are no data reflecting the efficiency of these measures. In its reply to the observations of the workers’ organizations, the Government provides comprehensive data showing the number of the persons whose employment is subsidized and also the amount of subsidy per person during the 2010–14 period.

The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the measures adopted within the framework of the national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. Please also continue to provide information on the activities of the National Disability Council and statistics disaggregated, as much as possible, by age, sex and the nature of the disability, as well as extracts from reports, studies and inquiries concerning the matters covered by the Convention.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed report received in January 2011 for the period ending in May 2010 and the comments provided by the workers’ organizations at the National ILO Council in August 2010. The Government indicates that the purpose of the new, more complex system included in Directive No. 1/2008 is to ensure that expert opinions regarding health impairments, disabilities, altered working capacities and other disabilities arising from diseases, injuries and disorders are based on unified professional principles and methodology. Attention should be given to the remaining developable abilities, changes in professional working capacity and rehabilitation chances. The workers’ organizations also indicate that the fact that wage support may be granted for a period of one year does not stimulate employment retention. In 2009, no tenders were invited for job creation for persons with disabilities, which had formerly been financed from the rehabilitation part of the Labour Market Fund. The Government replied by indicating that a support programme has been launched with the aim of creating jobs for the employment of persons receiving rehabilitation allowance. As to the tender invited every year for job creation from the Labour Market Fund, additional programmes were offered to employers undertaking to hire jobseekers with disabilities. The Government provided statistical data indicating that 63,698 persons with disabilities received employment support in 2009, which included wage support, cost compensation, rehabilitation cost support and social employment. The figure was down from 70,939 persons in 2008. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report information on the results achieved by the national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities, more specifically the measures adopted to enable persons with disabilities to obtain and retain employment in the open labour market. It further invites the Government to provide statistics disaggregated, as much as possible, by age, gender and the nature of the disability, as well as extracts from reports, studies and inquiries concerning the matters covered by the Convention (Part V of the report form).