More than 76,000 self-employed Hungarians have received a total of nearly 17 billion forints (EUR 46.5m) of one-off stimulus payments as part of a government program to support professions hard-hit by pandemic restrictions, the state secretary for employment policy said on Saturday.
Self-employed Hungarians working in vulnerable professions, such as hairdressers, cosmeticians, tour guides and driving instructors, were eligible for a one-off 219,000 forints, Sándor Bodó said in a statement.
Hairdressers and cosmeticians accounted for the highest number of applications, submitting more than 30,000 of the forms. There were a high number of applicants in Budapest, and in Pest, Hajdú-Bihar, Győr-Moson-Sopron and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén counties.
The government earlier estimated that 100,000-120,000 self-employed Hungarians were eligible for the stimulus.
Featured photo illustration by Attila Balázs/MTI