According to a representative survey conducted by Profession.hu, 12% of Hungarians have worked abroad at some point in their lives, with most reporting positive experiences and significant improvements in their overall quality of life.
The research, based on a representative sample of 1,000 adults surveyed in February 2026, paints a more nuanced picture of labour mobility than the traditional narrative focused solely on wages.
Better salaries remain the main driver, but not the only one
Among respondents with international work experience, 31% said higher earnings were their main reason for moving abroad. However, financial considerations are becoming relatively less dominant than in previous years.
Family reasons motivated 16% of workers to relocate abroad, a figure that increased significantly year-on-year, while 17% cited the prospect of better living conditions.
Professional development, language acquisition and cultural experience also featured prominently, with 14% of respondents mentioning career development and another 14% highlighting language skills or the opportunity to experience a different culture.
Only 6% said they left because they could not find suitable employment in Hungary, suggesting that working abroad has become less of a necessity and more of a deliberate career and life decision.
Blue-collar workers still dominate international mobility
Around 70% of Hungarians who worked abroad were employed in blue-collar occupations, while 34% held white-collar positions. Another 11% gained international experience as entrepreneurs, freelancers or business owners.
The research also indicates that working abroad is increasingly viewed as a medium-term commitment rather than a temporary experience. While 29% of respondents spent only a few months abroad, the largest group, 34%, worked outside Hungary for one to two years.
Longer stays are becoming more common as 18% remained abroad for between two and five years, 13% stayed for five to ten years, 7% spent more than a decade living and working outside Hungary.
Compared with the previous survey, the proportion of respondents spending one to two years abroad increased by 12%, while short-term employment became less common.
Finding a job abroad still depends largely on personal networks
Professional recruitment channels play a relatively limited role in helping Hungarians secure jobs overseas. More than half of respondents (55%) found employment through friends, relatives or personal contacts.
Only 12% secured a position through an online job portal, while 11% were transferred by their existing employer. Recruitment agencies accounted for 8% of successful placements, and another 11% found jobs by applying directly to companies.
Language remains the biggest challenge
Although most respondents evaluated their international experience positively, moving abroad was not without difficulties. The biggest obstacle proved to be language barriers, cited by 39% of respondents.
Building new social relationships (22%) and adapting to cultural differences (17%) were also commonly mentioned challenges. At the same time, 30% reported experiencing no major difficulties while working abroad.
Most workers say life improved after moving abroad
Perhaps the survey’s strongest finding concerns overall life satisfaction as around 80% of respondents said they were satisfied with their current or most recent job abroad.
Even more striking, 75% reported that their overall quality of life improved after relocating, with one in three describing the improvement as significant. Only 3% said moving abroad had a negative impact on their quality of life.
