Boss, have you heard the latest slick move from our Hungarian neighbors? Peter Magyar, the new prime minister, has cut immigrants off short! On Saturday, he issued a government decision, shoved it straight into the Official Gazette, and that's it – no more residence permits under Orban's simplified scheme. No joke! He says that under that procedure, Orban's controlled recruitment agencies were bringing in foreigners on a conveyor belt. Now, Magyar is keeping his campaign promise: "Enough, bros, our people first!"
Listen up here: it's not like he's completely shut the tap. Permits already issued remain valid, but the simplified scheme – that fast, sneaky one – is dead. In Hungary, there are about 90,000 employees from outside the EU, roughly 2% of the workforce. Most work in car factories, battery plants, construction, deliveries, or as seasonal farm workers. They come from the Philippines, Ukraine, China, Vietnam, India. Now watch the employers scream for workers!
And who is this Magyar? The guy took office on May 9, after his center-right party, Tisza, crushed the April elections. He says the restriction is to leave jobs for Hungarians and stop companies from driving down wages with foreigners working for peanuts. But the employers jump: "Sir, we have no people left, we're tearing our hair out trying to find workers!"
Man, what a difference from Romania! Back home, if a politician pulled a stunt like this, all the TV hags would scream, "We don't have a workforce!" The Hungarians, no – they think: "Our people first, then foreigners." And just like that, Magyar cuts that cheap scheme and shows he's not messing around. I say it's good: even Hungarians have unemployment issues in the south, in counties like Békés, but these employers want quick profit. In the end, each minds their own business. Let's see how car companies cope without Filipinos and Vietnamese working for a pittance!
Now, I'm off to tell Mioara what Magyar's been up to. She goes: "Leave it, cigarettes are getting more expensive here too, I don't care about Hungary!" Well, yeah, woman, but at least the Hungarians are doing something, not sitting with their hand out to Brussels!
