With the subtitle “ Self-confidence and Adjustment on Doubtful Ground,” the 2025 fast report on the competitiveness of Hungarian companies was presented at a press conference on May 6. This report is part of an ongoing research series conducted under the Competitiveness Research Centre at Corvinus, which has been running for nearly 30 years. The latest survey involved 335 medium and large companies, 90% of which are Hungarian-owned. The publication analyzes the domestic companies across 14 focus areas, from HR to marketing and innovation. 

“Companies perceive the environmental changes as somewhat more favorable overall than in the previous survey, with 60% rating the operational environment as entirely predictable. However, the general economic situation is considered worse than it was in 2019. According to respondents, monetary policy, especially changes in taxation conditions, has worsened the companies’ positions. The most unfavourable rating was given to the regulation of consumption taxes,” highlighted Attila Chikán, Director of the Competitiveness Research Centre at Corvinus. He also noted that it is encouraging that companies are increasingly prioritizing sustainability requirements, although this is mainly due to tightening regulations. 

The Role of Middle Management in Performance 
 

According to the research, the primary strategic goals identified by Hungarian companies are customer service, growth opportunities, and the creation of profit and shareholder value. Two-thirds of respondents reported improvements in every aspect of their production and service processes, comparing themselves to both their past performance and their competitors. 

The report authors noted that research and development, innovation, information technology, and risk management have become areas dominated by laggards. Digitalization in domestic companies is mainly used for analysis and considered a cost factor. Only one in five companies believes they have allocated sufficient financial resources for digital development. 

“Hungarian corporate decisions are centralized and increasingly based on data analysis. More competitive companies tend to involve middle management in long-term decision-making. Senior leaders in these companies tend to rate their performance significantly higher than their industry competitors,” said Erzsébet Czakó, Co-Director of the Research Centre. 

No Guaranteed Formula for Competitiveness 

 
One of the new findings in the report is that Hungarian companies now primarily consider quality when selecting suppliers, rather than price and cost, which were prioritized before. However, workforce development continues to rank last in development priorities, as it did in the previous survey. Unsurprisingly, three-quarters of companies report some level of labour shortage, though only 10% face a significant shortage. 

“Our results suggest that any company can be competitive, regardless of its size, industry, sales markets, or ownership background. Based on the Firm Competitiveness Index, Hungarian companies can, however, be divided into two groups: those that are highly competitive and exhibit significantly better performance across all aspects compared to the less competitive ones,” emphasised Dávid Losonci, Research Director at the Research Centre. 

More Companies Willing to Take Out Loans and Apply for Grants 

According to the fast report, the proportion of companies that do not take out loans at all has significantly decreased compared to previous years. The payment morale of companies has worsened since the last survey, with the most common reasons for delayed payments being that their customers are also not paying, as well as a lack of funds. 

Almost half of the respondents reported having won a grant, with an increase in both the number of companies submitting applications and those that were awarded support compared to the previous survey. The main goals for grant applications were identified as technology development, innovation, and energy modernization. 

The full report, which spans over a hundred pages, is available for download from the Budapest Corvinus University repository, including an English summary via this link.