Due to growing volumes and a persistent local labour shortage, a second-hand clothing sorting and processing plant on the Great Hungarian Plain was unable to keep its sorting lines reliably staffed. Through the direct placement of Filipino workers, we helped staff the sorting lines so that the plant can process its growing volumes with confidence.

The second-hand clothing trade is far more labour-intensive than it first appears. Bales arriving from abroad have to be sorted item by item by type, quality and season, separating items that are still wearable, those destined for export and those to be recycled. Our client, a second-hand clothing sorting and processing plant on the Great Hungarian Plain, handles ever-growing volumes, yet cannot find enough people on the local labour market to staff its sorting lines: few apply for monotonous physical work, and some of those hired move on after a few weeks. The shortage of semi-skilled sorters and high turnover meant that processing of incoming goods was regularly delayed, and during seasonal peaks serious backlogs loomed.

Sorting is semi-skilled work: it requires no prior training, and the employer teaches workers the specific tasks – the quality categories, the sorting criteria and the expected pace – on site. That is precisely why selection is not about qualifications but about reliability, the capacity to cope with physical, monotonous work and long-term intentions. We looked for Filipino candidates who had already proven themselves in warehouse or processing-plant environments, so they can cope well with the pace and monotony of the sorting line.

We aimed to make things as simple as possible for the client: we took full responsibility for selecting candidates, handling the residence permit for the purpose of employment, organising travel, preparing accommodation and the initial administration. This means the plant really only has to deal with on-site training and day-to-day work organisation, and can leave the official and logistical processes to us.

So far, the first eight workers have been placed; after a short, hands-on induction they are gradually joining the work on the sorting line. Depending on how things go, the plant plans to expand the team further so that it can handle growing volumes and seasonal peaks predictably.

M. G. · 5 October 2026