The Hungarian Association of Craftsmen’s Corporations (IPOSZ) is the largest national employers’ and professional organization representing Hungarian micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. It consists of 151 legally independent craft associations. Among these, 134 are organized regionally, while 17 function as national professional federations.
Only associations can be members of IPOSZ; it does not have individual (natural person) members. Currently, IPOSZ represents approximately 40,000 small businesses, typically employing from 1 to 10 people, including a significant number of sole proprietorships.
The enterprises represented by IPOSZ operate in more than 200 artisan and small-scale industrial trades, providing services, manufacturing products, and engaging in logistics activities. These are primarily traditional crafts and folk artisan professions. As a national-level federation, IPOSZ bears the important responsibility of representing these small businesses’ interests nationwide. It also plays an active role in sectoral dialogue within major artisan professions and collaborates continuously—based on agreements—with ministries, chambers, support institutions, economic and social organizations, and both employer and employee organizations.
A key objective of IPOSZ is to further develop its own information and service systems to better serve micro- and small enterprises. In addition to its information system, it places special emphasis on services such as vocational training, innovation, certification and standardization, workplace safety, social policy, environmental protection, and sustainable economic practices.
IPOSZ strives to ensure that individual, independent, family-run, micro-, and small enterprises in Hungary participate in social dialogue and sectoral negotiations in proportion to their economic significance. It also aims to help these businesses mobilize their potential in employment and innovation by securing appropriate EU support and financing. Within the broader SME sector, IPOSZ advocates for special attention to be given to micro-enterprises.
Currently, nearly 97% of Hungarian enterprises are SMEs, of which more than 90% are micro- and family-owned businesses, typically employing fewer than five people. These enterprises generate 30–40% of the country’s gross national product and account for nearly 60% of employment.
IPOSZ is a member of the Hanse Parliament, which includes Northern European countries, and it has established ongoing bilateral cooperation with associations from key EU partner countries—especially Germany, Austria, and Italy. In its international relations, IPOSZ places particular emphasis on maintaining ties with SME associations from neighboring countries, especially within the Visegrád Group (Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic). These collaborations primarily support economic and vocational education partnerships among family-run, micro-, and small businesses.
