Is Austria on the way to a prosperity crisis? This question was discussed at the “Industry in Dialogue” format of the Upper Austrian Industrial Association (IV). The Linz market researcher Spectra surveyed 805 Upper Austrians and focused on the different generations in the evaluation. 59 percent believe that prosperity will decline in the coming decades. Among older people (those born before 1973) the proportion is particularly high at 68 percent. “The young are more optimistic and 17 percent don’t trust themselves to make a prediction. Lack of information is a big problem,” said managing director Stephan Duttenhöfer.
The question was asked regarding a possible reduction in working hours to 32 hours: 61 percent see this as a threat to prosperity. 51 percent of those under 30 are of the opinion that this is affordable (older: 17 percent).
More education is needed
“We can work less, but we have to consider the consequences,” said Gertrude Schatzdorfer-Wölfel, managing partner of Schatzdorfer Gerätebau, during the subsequent discussion. If less were paid in, there would no longer be a functioning health system: “We can only distribute what we earn. And those who go to work take care of that.”
“There needs to be more information regarding the systemic connections,” said Klaus Pöttinger, senior manager of Pöttinger Disposal Technology: He sees a certain amount of pampering, but it comes more from the parents than from the boys.
Elin co-managing director Oskar Kern criticized the fact that rigid systems were being used to respond to an uncertain future. “We should stop complaining: there are also young people who are ready to perform.” Taxing additional output is wrong. People who wanted to work should also be able to do so.
According to IV-OÖ managing director Joachim Haindl-Grutsch, there is no need for more redistribution, “but people should be able to work for their own prosperity.”
Author
Elisabeth Prechtl
Economics editor
Elisabeth Prechtl
