The labor shortage has grown so acute that the government recently pushed through a contentious bill to address it. Widely referred to as the slave law, it allows employers to require up to 400 hours of overtime annually from its workers, while delaying compensation for up to three years. Mr. Orban’s Fidesz party promoted the measure as good for workers, saying it would let “those who want to work more earn more.”

Lunacy. Simply allow the labor shortage to persist long enough to bring up wages to a level which will attract workers instead. Ultimately, the law could only work were there not a labor shortage; such conditions would likely be tolerated in such a situation -- but no law would be necessary then.