Hungary’s military will receive a 7.4 percent pay rise in January, an increase on the originally planned 5 percent.
Szilárd Németh, state secretary at the Defense Ministry, said the hike was the last part of a program launched in 2015 to increase soldiers’ wages by 50 percent.
According to MTI, the 7.4 percent pay rise will increase wages in the defense sector by 39,000-74,000 HUF (121-223 EUR).
Németh said that the military is the “highest guarantee” of the country’s security and sovereignty, while it is instrumental in tackling “new challenges such as terrorism, migration, and cyberwarfare”.
Meanwhile, police officers’ wages were increased by 5 percent.
Károly Kontrát, state secretary at the Interior Ministry, said the salaries of police officers had increased by an average 50 percent since 2015.
The state secretary added that a police detective in a senior position now earns 471,000 HUF before tax, while a lower ranking officer without higher education makes 342,000 HUF a month. “The government will continue to provide all assistance to the police to maintain Hungary’s security,” Kontrát said.