The situation on the labor market is currently favorable for Ukraine refugees, says AMS boss Johannes Kopf in the “ZIB 2”. There is a very good starting position and a great willingness to help among Austrian companies. According to Kopf, the situation is made more difficult by the fact that most of the cases are women with children and that there are “fundamental childcare needs” to be clarified.
There are 120,000 vacancies in Austria. And the AMS and other organizations have learned a lot – when it comes to teaching the newcomers the language quickly.
The number of job seekers in March was not only below the pre-crisis figure (2019) of 368,979 people, but in absolute terms it was at its lowest level in ten years.
Kopf emphasized that the blue card alone is not enough, “you still need a work permit.” The AMS would have issued 41 of these so far. He is grateful to Minister of Labor Martin Kocher for “eliminating everything that complicates the process.”
service limits
On the subject of additional income limit, Kopf said that a solution for incomes over 500 euros had to be found. Because Kopf fears that women with children will often only be able to work part-time because of the childcare situation in Austria. You might then be just above an additional income limit of 500 euros, but still lose basic social security.
He is in contact with the interior minister regarding this, he has “the feeling that things are moving.”
Vulnerable groups should also be considered. Head: “How do we take care of them if they stay longer?” There should be the prospect of higher social security for people who cannot be integrated into the labor market.
Head does not expect unemployment to rise as a result of the war in Ukraine for the time being. Because the current WIFO forecast promises economic growth of well over 3 percent. He sees the need to fight the suffering, but as an expert he would have to say: “If the gas stops flowing, I’ll calculate with completely different numbers.” One should do everything “to stop this war”, on the other hand it has “great effects on the economy”.
