The Hungarian government is keeping its promise of providing a pension bonus for Hungarians this year.
Katalin Novák, the human resources ministry’s state secretary for family and youth, said this year’s pension bonus is expected to be higher than in 2017, around 18,000 HUF (55.60 EUR).
Novák said the principle behind the year-end pension bonus payment is that all Hungarians including the elderly should profit from the country’s economic growth.
In 2017, the government paid a 12,000 HUF bonus to pensioners. This year, based on a projected economic growth at around 4.4 percent of GDP, it is expected to rise, she said.
Speaking on public television, Novák said that the bonus will be paid before the end of the year to around 2.6 million eligible people.
Thanks to legislation taking effect in the coming months, the employment of retirees will become easier, helping them to return to the labor market, she added.