The Changing
World of Work
This year's survey results capture a pivotal moment for the Hungarian labour market. Uncertainty and caution shape the environment, yet many companies are choosing not to step back, but to pursue opportunities for growth.
On the following pages you will find the executive summary of our eighth survey since 2017. Each year we update the structure and scope; this year we revised the format to reflect a faster-paced world. At your request, the response window and processing were shortened to two weeks, so the results arrive in time for year-end planning.
The responses make one thing clear: the economic environment is still shaped by uncertainty and caution, yet many companies are not stepping back — they are actively pursuing opportunities for growth. Inflation, shifting markets and geopolitical pressures all weigh on organizations.
Salaries and benefits remain the clearest signal of what lies ahead. For 2025 most companies planned increases but could not always deliver; for 2026 performance-based pay is gaining ground, and the era of "automatic" raises is fading. Bonus schemes are narrowing, cafeteria benefits stagnate, while private healthcare elements spread.
The raise has cooled
The share of companies planning double-digit raises shrinks year over year. The room to maneuver has disappeared: the planned raise today barely clears inflation, with no cushion left.
After a generous 2024, every employee category retreated to the cautious band for 2025.
In 2024 white-collar raises were strong: 44% of companies gave 5–10% and 33% gave 10–15%. For 2025 this collapsed: the majority sits in the 5–10% band (51%) or the 0–5% band (37%), with just 11% planning above 10%.
Companies didn't plan a raise — they planned to hold the line.
The bonus logic held — the payout didn't grow, and cafeteria budgets stagnate.
76% of companies left their bonus scheme unchanged, and for 64% private healthcare is not part of the cafeteria today.
Work organization entered a consolidation phase: the hybrid model stabilized, and support for full home office is declining in many places.
Only a few formal practices emerged to address the resulting inequalities. Most companies leave their setup untouched for the coming year.
Recruitment shows caution: fewer open roles, with hiring focused on production, sales and logistics, while expansion in IT and marketing has stalled. At many firms a 'silent' downsizing is real — leavers are not replaced, and the remaining teams carry the extra load.
75% of companies offer some home office, but 90% do not plan to change their setup for 2026.
Pay transparency makes gradual inroads as a slow cultural shift — open advertising and internal openness remain minority practice.
Salary ranges appear in more and more job ads, yet many companies still hesitate — wary of competitors' reactions, internal tension, or the risk of public criticism in the comments.
AI mainly streamlines administration, customer interactions and back-office processes. Most leaders report time savings, but few measure the impact, leaving the business evidence incomplete. Job descriptions evolve accordingly, and a "human-in-the-loop" approach can provide a competitive edge. The practical steps — defining metrics, updating role descriptions, basic AI training, scaling from pilots — all point toward conscious measurement.
"New technologies arrive and change at an incomprehensibly fast pace; strategy-supporting tools should be reassessed every 3–6 months."Respondent comment
Perhaps the pace is not always this extreme — not every tool must be adopted, and what helps others may not help us. Yet the trend is clear, and the point is well taken: it cannot be ignored.
Leading the new generations
This topic drew by far the most comments, debate and self-reflection, followed by pay transparency. Rapid feedback, flexible work organization, clear communication and "bridges between generations" are no longer ideals but retention factors. Value-based connection, technological curiosity as a motivator and differing communication styles (“the same word means something different”) are real challenges. Positive examples highlight open two-way communication, mentoring and regular feedback; typical pitfalls are impatience, infrequent feedback and unappealing task assignments. Companies gain an advantage where leaders practice these competencies deliberately.
78% point to the new generations' value system as the reason new methods are needed, and 37% see adaptability as the most important leadership competency for the coming years.
Allow me to highlight some of the most thought-provoking comments shared — they may inspire reflection for everyone.
"It is very important to engage the new generation."
"Alongside product development and efficiency gains, resolving generational differences among employees will be of critical importance. The synchronized management of these issues will determine our company's future."
"Integrating Generation Z has been a failure in our company, largely due to the industry's low profitability and the uncertain economy. Generation Z does not accept the traditional career path."
"The gap between new-generation and existing employees — in mentality, work capacity and performance — is so great that they cannot work together. We will age out as a workforce if we cannot bring in young people."
"Young colleagues need to be selected more carefully."
"The hardest challenge is meeting the expectations of inexperienced young employees. They demand salaries on par with colleagues of 20–25 years' experience, want to spend minimal time on the work itself, and treat home office as time off."
"I believe we are approaching this the wrong way. Instead of constantly adapting to the new generation, we should focus on bringing all the generations onto a common platform. Younger employees also need to learn to invest more energy and attention."
and what resonated most with my "HR heart" —
"I trust my team. They feel it, and as a result they take on more responsibility — developing the company, and themselves, with enthusiasm."
Most company leaders belong to Generation X — myself included — and I know firsthand what this feels like. It is not easy for us. We are the generation "raised by our parents, yet held accountable by our children," many of whom are now employees. My child may be the one you call cheeky or lazy.
But how did many of us raise them? Stand up for yourself. Speak your mind. Don't shy away from conflict. Always ask for feedback. Don't work for starvation wages. I exaggerate a little, but it is worth remembering this before we criticize — and instead support them, and the children of other leaders, as if they were our own.
Perhaps this perspective makes it easier to accept that an entire generation cannot be written off as "useless." They are just different — as we were once, though we may have forgotten. And let's not be too hard on ourselves: "There are perfect parents, but they don't have children yet."
The environment is constrained and uncertain, the room to maneuver limited — yet many organizations keep experimenting, seeking new markets and selling more deliberately.
Whether these prove lasting shifts or short-term responses depends on how measurable the outcomes are, and on leaders' ability to consciously build bridges across generations. The success competencies for the next 3–5 years are already clear — not "soft" extras, but real drivers of retention and performance.
"The market isn't broken — it chose caution."
Those who measure, learn, experiment and scale build an advantage even in uncertain conditions — especially where the greatest challenge lies: leading the new generations.
Many of you took the time to share comments at the end of the questionnaire. I would like to respond to a few, and in some cases ask — if you still have the energy — that you clarify your thoughts. This helps us avoid mistakes and build an even stronger report in 2026.
"The questionnaire was very long and took a lot of time."
For a high-quality report, a broad range of questions is essential, as many areas interconnect. I am grateful you completed it anyway. The average completion time was 22 minutes — I trust the result makes up for the effort.
"Why not several shorter surveys instead of one long one?"
Splitting into multiple rounds reduces both quality and participation. To provide reliable, representative, up-to-date insight that supports your work, we need a comprehensive database — and that requires one thorough annual survey.
"It would be good to have an 'I don't know' option, especially for next-year predictions."
I think it would be overrepresented. As it stands, many valuable observations and ideas came from exactly those questions.
"The title 'Salary Survey' was misleading."
You are right, the wording is not entirely accurate — the only reason is that we have not yet found a better one. If you have a suggestion, please send it.
If you felt addressed by these points, or similar questions have come up since, please send them to andrea.deak@greensearch.hu. We are deeply grateful for your input.
It is always a joy and a help to receive your feedback on the content — any kind is welcome, as it drives us forward. The data analysis was supported by my colleague Márti Rostás, to whom I extend special thanks; year after year we create our materials in complete symbiosis.