The social consequences of income conditions in agriculture

Horváth, Gábor – Palkovics, Miklós

Keywords: agricultural population, employees, wages, personal income, social security, pension plans

It is essential for the smooth functioning and development of a society that the income conditions and consequently the prosperity of its individual members, social groups, employees, etc. improve. The authors of the study, in accordance with the mission of Gazdálkodás, examined the situation of the agricultural population in relation to this.
The number of people employed in agriculture dropped drastically right after the regime change and continues to decline, though more moderately, to this day. One could ask where, if at all, the several hundred thousand former farm workers found jobs.
Half of those who remain in the sector are employees, the rest are basically self-employed. Their earnings lag far behind the national average and there are no observable signs of this gap being bridged. Their future prospects, namely their retirement pensions, are particularly unfavourable. In this, for many, hopeless situation, it is the role of Government, representing society, to act.
It is the authors’ suggestion that the operation of employment subsidies, the encouragement of participation in the social security system and the incentivisation of employment related to the agricultural support system, could be effective.

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