Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? Work-Related Migration From Western-Hungary to Austria

Abstract

After the 2004 EU accession of Hungary, the evolvement of the cross-border regions has started to emerge there as well, followed by the decrease—and in case of the Schengen Area the complete break off—of the separation role of the borders as a result of which the citizens of the member states have free movement in the greater part of the European Union. The basic goal of the EU enlargement was the establishment of the free movement of capital, goods, information, and workers. A very strong workforce migration has immediately started and is still ongoing among the EU member states, directing in first row from the less developed economies to the better developed ones. This of course is the same in case of Hungary, where the active population in a rapidly growing number makes the decision to take a job in the well-developed countries of the EU for a shorter or longer period. According to Rechnitzer, people living in the Austrian-Hungarian border region (among whom many were Hungarian citizens) were capable of novation and were active performers in general already before the transition period. The study focuses on the key motivation factors and the possible grouping of the people living in Western-Hungary having decided to work in Austria.