In total, almost 425,000 young men have completed military replacement service, which currently lasts nine months.
After Austrian sovereignty was regained and compulsory military service was introduced, it took a long time until civilian service was established. Only since 1975 has it been possible to perform alternative military service for reasons of conscience. Until then, this group had to serve in the Federal Army without weapons. The decision to do this was made in March 1974, hence the 50th anniversary.
In the first year, just 344 civil servants started their service. For comparison: In the record year 2017 there were 14,907 assignments.
No more examination of conscience
The fact that around 14,000 young men now take up community service every year is also due to the abolition of the so-called examination of conscience. Until 1992, those interested had to credibly demonstrate to a separate commission that they refused to use weapons for reasons of conscience.
The civilian servants were not allowed to use weapons even following they had been working for more than two decades. This ban was later reduced to 15 years. There are now exceptions, for example when a former civil servant discovers his passion for hunting.
The duration of community service has also been changed several times. It started with eight months, with the abolition of the examination of conscience it initially became eleven, later twelve months, before ending up with nine months with two weeks of vacation.
Although the duration is significantly longer than that of military service, community service has not lost any of its attractiveness. Around 45 percent of those conscripted opt for alternative military service every year. The biggest boom came with the abolition of the examination of conscience. In 1992, the number of community service declarations jumped from 4,573 to 12,039.
Most of the “civilians” in the rescue service
The areas of application of the civilians are diverse. The rescue services in particular rely on young men. 40 percent of civil servants are employed in this sector. This is followed by social and disability assistance as well as care for the elderly. Civil servants are also active, for example, in hospitals, kindergartens, in refugee aid, in disaster control, in youth work or in environmental protection.
Regionally, interest in community service is greatest in Vienna, followed by Upper Austrians. By far the fewest civilian servants are in Burgenland.
Until the age of 35 you were called up for regular community service, and until the age of 50 you were called up for extraordinary service. The latter was hardly taken seriously for a long time, until the corona pandemic came. At the beginning of April 2020, around 3,500 extraordinary community service workers began their service. Of these, around 2,000 were former civil servants who had volunteered. The rest were civilians whose service was extended by three months. Another 1,000 volunteers joined later.
The Ministry of the Interior was responsible for community service for many years before he moved to the Ministry of Agriculture and has now arrived at the Federal Chancellery. Youth State Secretary Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP) is responsible for the area.
