Unemployed due to stamps: The AMS employment agency sends job seekers who refuse work
Some unemployed people in Austria are attending job interviews only to collect a confirmation stamp from the AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice – Public Employment Service), without any intention of working. Jobseekers and employers say this practice wastes time and public money.
A 24-year-old woman from Upper Austria, مايا, is retraining for an office job in the real estate sector with support from the AMS. She says she is frustrated after seeing how others misuse the system. While she struggles to pay rent and focus on finding real work, she claims some unemployed people travel or avoid jobs while continuing to receive benefits.
مايا says that at her former workplace, people sent by the AMS appeared for interviews without wanting the job. Their only goal was to obtain the employer’s signature as proof of attendance so they could keep receiving unemployment benefits. She also criticizes the AMS for repeatedly offering her restaurant jobs, even though she is trying to leave that sector and build a new career.
AMS chief executive يوهانس كوبف confirmed that such behavior counts as refusing or obstructing employment and leads to sanctions. He said the AMS has around 800 staff dedicated to helping companies and relies on employers to report cases where applicants only seek a stamp. According to the AMS, unemployment benefits or emergency aid are cut off nearly 80,000 times each year due to such violations.
Vienna construction company owner كريستيان د. described similar experiences. He said one applicant openly admitted that unemployment paid better than a job because he received 1,500 euros from the AMS and earned extra money from small side jobs. In another hiring round, only three out of ten invited candidates showed up, and all of them wanted only a stamp, not employment.