ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Cleaning businesses operating in Hungary have seen a severe labour shortage recently - explained Zoltán Paár, the head of cleaning industry association MATISZ, when he spoke to Hungarian news agency MTI.

Around 8,500 positions have been registered as unfilled at local employment offices throughout the country, Paár said, adding that he believes the actual number could be much higher as most companies simply do not advertise with such offices, the news agency reported.

Net monthly wages for full-time cleaning staff have risen from between €210 and €226 in 2014 to between €258 and €322. Some staff can earn up to €450 per month. This means that wages of cleaning staff still lag significantly behind the country's average gross monthly wage, which was measured at €838 in June this year.

Paár noted that payroll accounts for about 80 per cent of the costs of cleaning companies.