Debrecen4U
July 14, 2025
Debrecen’s economic programme: new jobs, conference tourism and empowering SMEs
EDC’s managing director spoke about Debrecen’s economic programme, according to Zoltán Pécskay, the city has already achieved many of the economic goals set for the period 2021-2030.
Debrecen is set to play a decisive role on the domestic and international economic map in the coming years. The city’s general assembly recently adopted the economic programme for the next five years. Twelve areas have been identified along which an up-to-date, focused, and complex programme can be created in the coming years.
In the Debrecen Television programme entitled “Public Affairs,” managing director of EDC Debrecen Nonprofit Kft., Zoltán Pécskay, spoke about the future vision of Debrecen’s economy. They are halfway through the economic programme formulated for the period between 2021 and 2030, so according to the managing director, a review was timely.
“In many areas, the goals set in 2021 have been achieved by 2025, such as the number of jobs created,” referring to that more than 20 thousand new jobs were announced between 2015 and 2025, of which more than 9 thousand have already been filled.
Moreover, these jobs are mostly filled by Hungarians from the city and its region. According to Zoltán Pécskay, this is also supported by their 2024 business environment analysis, in which 300 companies were interviewed on various topics, such as the employment structure. Based on this, it turned out that 7 percent of companies employ foreign workers to some extent.
He added that there was also a goal that, examining the economic size of the city and the total sales revenue of the businesses operating here, targeted an annual sales volume of HUF 3 thousand billion, on an annual basis.
“This was already exceeded in 2023, with businesses headquartered or located in Debrecen achieving a total revenue of more than HUF 3,200 billion,” he emphasised.
In response to a question from editor-host Bettina L. Nagy, the managing director also addressed the current situation of the SME Park established in the Southern Economic Zone.
“We handed over the first phase in December 2024; 16 small and medium-sized enterprises were able to purchase land and make investments here for a total of more than HUF 13 billion, creating more than 250 jobs in the city,” he summarised, saying the city is planning to establish two more phases.
It was recorded in the recently adopted economic programme, but there are no plans to develop additional new industrial areas.
“This does not mean that the city has closed its doors to all job-creating developments, as new investments can be made not only in industrial parks,” he added.
Following the successful development of the industry, the service sector will receive greater emphasis, and they would like significant new players to enter this sector and create new jobs.
The past years have not been about office developments, but fortunately, he believes that there are sufficient offices available in Debrecen: there are nearly 100,000 square metres of A-category office capacity in the city, 30 percent of which is freely and flexibly available.
“So there is space, and the workforce and educational background are sufficiently stable to prevent new activities from starting,” he highlighted.
“Prices in Debrecen are still more favourable than those in Budapest,” he pointed out the office rental amounts.
According to Zoltán Pécskay, it has meant a lot to business and conference tourism that numerous hotel developments have taken place in Debrecen in recent years.
“Five or six years ago there was no hotel that belonged to an international chain; in 2025 there will be four of them,” he said, referring to the Mercure, Hilton, the recently handed-over Ibis and the Hotel Lycium (which is supplemented by Accor’s Handwritten Collection brand). Their existence is a very important basic condition for a more serious business or conference tourism.
Finally, he explained that the stated goal of the EDC is to attract as many business events as possible to the city, even as co-organisers. Moreover, they also organise their own events, such as the supplier forum, which strengthens the connection between the local SME sector and the large corporate sector in Debrecen. They also organise free training programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises in order to further develop them.
Source: dehir.hu |Photo credit:debrecen.hu
