Work Force HR has been lending Filipino workers for months. A group of 40 people started working in Veszprém, but the company expects to recruit more than 1,000 more foreign workers in the near future, all over the country. Experience so far shows that the manufacturing sector is most interested in them, but the tourism industry has also been captivated by the recruitment from third countries.
The first Filipino workers from the Philippines have come to Hungary for a very long period of time, organized by Work Force HR. Work Force currently has a two-year contract with its third-country partners, but this period is expected to be extended for those who find it successful to employ Asian workers. In the HR provider's experience, this period is extremely long given the fluctuation of the physical workforce. All of the Filipinos who have already arrived have started as soldering operators, but recruitment for other positions is already underway. The manufacturing sector is the most important, but hotels and catering establishments and service companies employing white-collar workers are also increasingly looking for third-country workers.
Work Force's first experience is that it is not an easy task to bring these workers to Hungary. „We work in a highly regulated environment. After obtaining the qualified temporary employment agency status in the country, we needed to obtain accreditation in the Philippines, which was the only way to start designing the operating model and processes for recruitment outside the country and training our team to do this service, as it is very different from what we do here. We had to coordinate our selection with a local recruitment company in order to minimize the risks," said Zoltán Czellecz, Work Force Manager. He added that moving these workers here is a much more costly process than relocating them to the countryside. It's a financial outlay for HR providers that no one will reimburse if a worker might resign during a probationary period. This is why it is important for both newcomers and employers to get what they are looking for. He said that they do their utmost to ensure that these workers do not move on to other countries, even in the Schengen area, by providing thorough training, cooperative managers, a friendly working environment, and comfortable accommodation.
There are also differences in the job choice preferences of Filipino workers when compared with domestic trends. „Of course, wages are also the number one consideration for them, as most of them leave home in the hope of financial stability. But it is also of paramount importance for them to be able to integrate into another culture in a foreign continent. We can help them to do this, for example, by making sure that they live with people from similar backgrounds who can communicate easily. When we looked at the conditions for recruiting abroad, we found that fortunately, these workers come from a background that is compatible with the Hungarian way of life. Our experience so far has confirmed this," said Zoltán Czellecz.
Faced with a growing shortage of physical labor, companies are trying to use as many tools as possible to tackle the problem. Continuous staff fluctuation is aggressively driving up earnings, with some companies giving quarterly pay rises when their financial performance and manufacturing efficiency would not justify it. It is a constraint for them that only works for so long. These companies also need to take into account the wage level at which it is still worthwhile to operate at home and the cost level at which a production line or project must be outsourced abroad. This could even be a bigger threat to the domestic economy than falling wages. The expert said that recruiting foreign workers could be a key issue in keeping these companies operating at home.
About Work Force
Work Force Ltd., a 100% Hungarian owned company, has been in the business of temporary employment and labor brokerage since 2003. Thanks to our experience, up-to-date market knowledge and expertise, we provide complex solutions to meet the growing labor needs of our partners. Our clients include manufacturing and production companies as well as companies in the service sector. With 8 offices nationwide, it ensures the continuous availability of the right workforce for 300 clients.
