Increase in job opportunities for workers and professionals in Austria
The Austrian labor market shows remarkable resilience this year, as 31% of companies with at least one employee intend to hire new staff during the current year, according to a study conducted by the Volksbank Association.
As for the larger companies, those with more than nine employees, 59% of them expressed their intention to expand their workforce, while 24% of small companies expressed their desire to hire.
The study, conducted by the Gallup Institute for Volksbanken-Verbund and involving around 1,000 companies, highlights that the greatest demand is for skilled workers, with 53% of companies seeking to hire them. There is also a clear demand for employees in fields such as accounting and management, with 34% of companies looking for them. Trainees (Lehrlinge) represent 24% of the needs.
Even unskilled workers have good chances currently, as 23% of companies have announced open positions for them. However, the demand for other categories of employees such as academics, consultants, seasonal workers, or vendors remains low, not exceeding 6%.
Larger companies find greater and easier opportunities for hiring; 63% of them need skilled workers, 40% are looking for employees, 37% need trainees, and 29% need unskilled workers. In contrast, the need for 'other employees' remains minimal (2%).
However, the difficulties in finding suitable employees remain, although they are less prevalent in large companies, where 67% reported difficulties in hiring, compared to 76% in small companies and 78% in companies consisting of only one person.
42% of companies attributed these difficulties to a lack of qualified labor, 41% to rising wage expectations, while 32% felt that applicants did not match the company's requirements.
When companies were asked about possible measures to stimulate the labor market, 65% suggested reducing the side costs of wages, 55% indicated that reducing bureaucracy could help improve the situation, while 39% believed that providing additional tax incentives would be beneficial.