The Most Influental Executives in Human Resources

Tibor Bányai spent the first 22 years of his career serving in the military as an officer, concluding his service as a brigade commander. Following that, he spent around 20 years in various senior management positions in the Hungarian subsidiaries of global companies from Japan, the Netherlands, the United States, South Korea, and India. Bányai specializes in greenfield investments and the development of modern, efficient organizational structures. He studied for four years at the Polish National Defense University in Warsaw and earned an MBA from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Under his leadership, Bányai & Partner Consulting Ltd. has become one of the top 10 recruitment agencies in Hungary. Its Indian subsidiary, Banyai Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., operates not only in the Indian market but also recruits for the Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar). Bányai has four children: Tibor lives in Wales, Erika works in HR at Ericsson, Szabolcs manages the Indian subsidiary, and Boglárka works in the Budapest office in a back-office role. He has six grandchildren (the seventh is on the way), and his hobby is hunting.

 

Are there markedly different conditions driving the temping and recruitment sectors in 2025?

Government decrees introduced at the end of 2024 have significantly restricted the placement and employment of third-country nationals through recruitment or temporary staffing services. This has had a severely negative impact on both recruitment agencies and temporary staffing companies.

“The legislation that currently disadvantages both temporary and recruitment companies should be repealed. Lawmakers must accept the reality that Hungarian businesses need access to qualified labor. The current legal environment significantly limits access to such skilled workers.”

It also affects economic players who would still like to employ workers from the above-mentioned countries. One well-known automotive manufacturer, for example, is no longer able to hire new Indian workers, despite having had very positive experiences with them.

How are temps viewed in the marketplace? Are they seen as adding value, or are they a necessary evil and one that companies will be quick to drop as soon as they can?

Market players clearly view temporary workers as valuable team members who make meaningful contributions to operations.

How difficult is it to source sufficient workforce today? What are the professions that are the hardest to fill, what are the typical time frames, and how has this changed over time?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find enough workers. A key factor is the rapidly declining population in Hungary, along with the enormous pull effect of the Western European labor market. It is especially hard to fill technically demanding CNC positions (such as programmers, plasma or laser cutting machine operators, machining center operators, etc.). It’s no surprise, but there has been a long-standing shortage of mechanical and electrical engineers, and in recent years, also industrial automation engineers (PLC programmers, for example). It often takes months to fill these roles, and we’ve had cases where it took more than a year.

What about the caliber of candidates? How difficult is it to find people with appropriate soft and hard skills?

The overall quality of applicants is declining year by year. Consequently, it is increasingly difficult to find candidates with the right technical expertise and personal competencies. 

Allied to that, how happy are you with the job sone in the education system in preparing young starters/graduates for the world of work? What would you change?

There will likely always be issues regarding the preparedness of young graduates and entry-level

employees. Improvement could be made by tightening the admission criteria of educational institutions. Unfortunately, most programs currently admit almost anyone, including those who, from the outset, clearly have no intention of working in the profession.

As the latest generation to join the job market, Gen Z is expected to account for more than a quarter of the U.S. workforce by the end of this year. Presumably, the stats are similar in Hungary. How are Gen Z candidates to work with? Are there noticeable differences from their predecessor generations?

This generation, roughly up to 28 years old, grew up with the internet, smartphones, and social media. This significantly shapes their worldview. That said, compared to previous generations, I do not perceive any major differences in how they work or behave. 

What is the most significant area of friction between agencies and employers in Hungary today? How has this changed, and what can you do to overcome it?

Excessive expectations on the part of employers are a significant point of friction. Recruitment has become much more expensive and time-consuming, but clients often fail to acknowledge this. This situation can be improved through establishing a partnership-based and equal business relationship.

The government creates the framework for employment in Hungary. What changes would you like to see lawmakers make, and are these different for temporary and recruitment services?

The legislation that currently disadvantages both temporary and recruitment companies should be repealed. Lawmakers must accept the reality that Hungarian businesses need access to qualified labor. The current legal environment significantly limits access to such skilled workers.