Changes in labour market expectations in Hungary: 2018 and 2023

Abstract The study examines changes in the structure and timing of employer competency expectations in the Hungarian labour market, focusing on how organizations define and apply these expectations within their human resource practices. It builds on the theoretical framework of competence-based thinking, which interprets competencies as performance-relevant personal attributes linking individual potential with organizational effectiveness. Within this framework, competence serves as a bridge between economic and human dimensions of organizational functioning, supporting alignment between workforce quality and strategic objectives. Empirical findings are based on two company-level surveys conducted in 2018 and 2023 among HR professionals and managers within the Corporate Competence Management Research Project. Using a hierarchical clustering of 54 competency variables, the analysis compares employers' expectations across five career stages: entry-level, junior, senior, expert, and leadership roles. Results show a significant expansion and temporal shift in expectations: competencies formerly associated with higher levels—such as learning autonomy, creative problem-solving, and analytical thinking—are now required at earlier stages of employment. Collaboration, conflict management, and multicultural communication gained prominence at senior levels, while leadership expectations increasingly involved strategic foresight, change management, and decision-making. Furthermore, transversal skills such as adaptability, ethical awareness, and stress tolerance became central elements of employability. By connecting theoretical perspectives with empirical evidence, the study deepens understanding of how Hungarian organizations adapt to evolving labour market demands and underscores the importance of embedding complex transversal and metacognitive skills in higher education to bridge the expectation–preparation gap.