The unemployment rate in Austria rose to about 435,000 people in December.
Unemployment rates in Austria rose to 434,572 people by the end of December 2025, an increase of 8,560 people, or 2% compared to the previous year. The official unemployment rate reached 8.4%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from December 2024.
Despite this increase, the unemployment growth rate has begun to slow down. The labor market has shown some signs of improvement, with the number of job vacancies increasing by 4,000 compared to last year, indicating relative stability.
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Corina Schumann indicated that stronger employment growth is expected in the coming months. Estimates suggest that unemployment may decrease slightly in the second half of 2026, with the expectation of adding around 27,000 new non-independent jobs.
The report revealed clear gender differences. Women's unemployment rose by 6.6% in December, while men's unemployment increased by only 0.5%. Long-term unemployment also rose, with 102,491 people registered with AMS for over a year, an increase of 12.8% compared to the previous year.
However, the number of immediate job vacancies registered with the Arbeitsmarktservice decreased by 16.2% to 67,647 jobs, reflecting continued caution among companies in hiring despite signs of stability in the labor market. Analysts indicate that Austria is entering 2026 with mixed signals in the labor market, between a slowdown in unemployment growth and a decline in available job opportunities.