Employment and poverty among working-age people in the European Union and Hungary: before, during and after the crisis

There are various socio-political views in Hungary and Europe on the role of employment and cash transfers provided by the welfare state in alleviating poverty. One view is that employment is not only an essential condition for reducing or even eliminating poverty, but is itself the solution: if employment increases in a country, it leads to a reduction in poverty, and full employment may even be the key to eliminating poverty. The other view is that employment alone is not a solution to reducing poverty; to ensure that citizens' basic needs are met, minimum income guarantees that are sufficient regardless of employment status are needed. Both views are fundamentally normative in nature and are generally not or not entirely derived from empirical results. Our study, which analyzes developments in Hungary in comparison with other EU member states, attempts to present the diversity of processes, outcomes, and mechanisms of impact, and to provide points of reference for nuancing normative positions.