Digital transformation and career development in Central Europe. The case of Hungary (preprint)

Digital transformation is reshaping labour markets, skill demands, and career development systems across Central Europe. Hungary illustrates this transition acutely, as rapid technological change intersects with long standing weaknesses in public administration, SME digitalisation, and workforce readiness. Using comparative analysis of harmonised European indicators, this paper assesses Hungary's position within the Visegrád (V4) region across five domains relevant to digital career development: digital public services, SME digital intensity, AI adoption, practitioner competences, and labour market intelligence (LMI). Despite strong progress in broadband infrastructure, Hungary's digital career support ecosystem remains fragmented, institutionally weak, and poorly aligned with national and EU level strategies. The COVID 19 period accelerated digital uptake but exposed major gaps in interoperability, data use, and practitioner preparedness. Facing demographic decline, labour shortages, and the growing relevance of human–AI collaboration, Hungary requires a system level approach to digital career development. The paper proposes a prioritised policy agenda centred on a national digital career development strategy, stronger LMI, practitioner upskilling, interoperable platforms, and inclusive access to guidance services.