Experiences show that the “workfare instead of welfare” concept has been working, Minister of State for Employment Sándor Czomba and Fidesz Communications Chief and Mayor of Eighth District of Budapest Máté Kocsis stressed at a joint press conference on employment held in Budapest.

Sándor Czomba said that last year more than 300 thousand people participated in the public work programme and the welfare benefits of only 752 of them had to be suspended as they refused to accept the work that had been offered to them. Public work schemes, he added, will continue as long as the private sector is not capable of providing jobs for the majority of jobseekers.

On the other hand, for the coming period the Government’s objective is to increase by as much as possible the number of public work employees who get a private sector job after having obtained sufficient skills and work experience.

Another goal of the Cabinet is to keep lastingly the number people in employment above 4 million and the unemployment rate below 4 percent, the Minister of State emphasised.

At the press conference held on Mátyás Square, in District 8 of Budapest, Máté Kocsis called attention to the fact that unemployment has been plaguing the district for decades and the public work programme has been a great help.

As he pointed out, in 2013 the number of registered jobseekers in the district dropped by 28 percent, which means that some 1150 people have found employment and 437 of them have become public work employees.

“Welfare benefits are a favour bur wages are deserved”, Máté Kocsis stressed, as every work is meaningful and of value. The Mayor said that he wants to dispel the misconception that District 8 has the highest number of unemployed people.

(Ministry for National Economy)