Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said Hungary’s economic protection scheme has been among the most successful in terms of the job market, with the unemployment rate showing a much better trajectory than in the European Union.
According to MTI, Gulyás said that protecting jobs and families and supporting businesses remained a priority for the government. Recently, the government has contributed to the protection or creation of 1.4 million jobs, he added. Partly thanks to these efforts, more than 4.5 million people hold jobs in Hungary, which is just shy of the all-time record employment rate. The minister said the average unemployment rate in the EU is 7 percent, as against 3.9 percent in Hungary, he said.
Regarding the loan repayment moratorium introduced as an economic protection measure during the coronavirus epidemic, Gulyás said the government would soon submit a proposal on prolonging the moratorium to parliament. The moratorium will be extended for families raising children, pensioners, fostered workers and companies which lost over 25 percent of their revenues, he said.
Regarding the government’s latest “National Consultation” survey, Gulyás said the requirement to wear face masks had the largest public support among defence measures, with 83 percent of respondents backing the regulation. Fully 79 percent support cutting back public events and closing the borders, while 78 percent is in favour of social distancing, 64 percent of curbing the export of equipment, 62 percent supports shopping times maintained for the elderly, and 59 percent the introduction of curfews, Gulyás said.
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