Published: December 19 2023
The deputy group leader of opposition LMP in Hungary, Máté Kanász-Nagy, spoke at an online press briefing about the need to offer attractive opportunities for young people working abroad to encourage them to return home. He criticized the government's family policy and expressed concern about the emigration of young people from Hungary.
The Government's Family Policy
Kanász-Nagy referred to the government's family policy as a "failure" and highlighted the emigration of young people as a significant challenge for the country. He claimed that instead of building a knowledge-based society, the government focused on creating an economy to serve multinationals, resulting in low-value jobs and meager wages that are not attractive to young people.
Emigration of Young People
Approximately 400,000-500,000 young people have left Hungary for western European countries in the past decade in search of better opportunities and a higher quality of life. Kanász-Nagy emphasized the importance of offering attractive opportunities at home to prevent further emigration.
Challenges Faced by Young People Abroad
The jobs available to young people abroad often involve low value-added work and offer low wages, which is not appealing to them. According to survey results, a significant number of young Hungarians aged 16-24 are considering a future in another country.
Government Offices for Young People Returning from Abroad
Kanász-Nagy criticized the government's new offices set up to assist young people returning from abroad, stating that they are merely a "PR trick." He argued that these offices cannot provide any substantial help beyond basic advice and suggested that more support should be offered in Hungarian cities rather than in other countries.
Questions & Answers
Why are young Hungarians urged to return home for better opportunities in Budapest? Young Hungarians are urged to return home for better opportunities in Budapest because the emigration of young people is seen as one of the country's gravest challenges. In the past decade, hundreds of thousands of young people have left Hungary for other countries in western Europe in the hope of leading a better life.
What did Máté Kanász-Nagy say about the government's family policy in Hungary? Máté Kanász-Nagy called the government's family policy a "failure" and criticized it for not offering attractive opportunities for young people. He stated that the government has focused on creating an economy that serves multinationals and turns Hungary into an assembly plant, rather than building a knowledge-based society.
What is the current situation regarding the emigration of young people from Hungary? In the past decade, an estimated 400,000-500,000 young people have left Hungary for other countries in western Europe in search of better opportunities. According to survey results cited by Máté Kanász-Nagy, approximately every other Hungarian aged 16-24 is considering a future in another country.
What does Máté Kanász-Nagy think about the jobs offered in Hungary for young people? Máté Kanász-Nagy believes that the jobs offered in Hungary's current economic system are of little value-added and provide meager wages. He argues that these jobs are not attractive to young people, which contributes to the emigration of the youth.
What does Máté Kanász-Nagy think about the government's offices set up to help young people returning from abroad? Máté Kanász-Nagy considers the government's offices set up to help young people returning from abroad as a "PR trick". He believes that these offices cannot provide more help than basic advice and sees them as ineffective in addressing the challenges faced by returning young individuals.