Industry ad press hour: Austria needs a targeted skilled worker strategy

2023-10-01 12:29:45

Use all potential on the labor market – become more attractive as a country when it comes to qualified immigration – expansion of high-quality, comprehensive childcare is necessary

Vienna (OTS) – In today’s press session, Federal Minister Martin Kocher addressed key measures to counteract the ever-increasing shortage of work and skilled workers. “In the next 10-12 years we expect a need for work and skilled workers of around 540,000 people. As an industrial country Austria, we must use all potential on the labor market in order to secure our long-term prosperity,” said Christoph Neumayer, Secretary General of the Association of Industrialists (IV). To achieve this, we need to become much more attractive as a country, especially when it comes to qualified immigration. “The high tax and duty ratio in Austria does not make us attractive to foreign workers. A commitment to reduce taxes and contributions to below 40 percent by 2030 is a central role in strengthening the attractiveness,” adds Neumayer. Furthermore, joint and, above all, increased efforts are needed, for example from the Austrian Business Agency, an expansion of Austrian schools abroad and targeted initiatives, such as Germany has demonstrated with a skilled worker immigration law.

High-quality child care as a basis for the skilled workers of tomorrow

The training and sustainable securing of talent from home and abroad is an absolute necessity for Neumayer. “In addition to a targeted skilled worker strategy, measures are also needed domestically to strengthen the labor market. In addition to the above-mentioned making full-time work more attractive, this includes, among other things, the expansion of high-quality, comprehensive childcare as a basis for the skilled workers of tomorrow,” says Neumayer. “The federal government’s commitment to invest 4.5 billion euros in the expansion and quality assurance of childcare is an important first step that can enable many parents to work more.” The call for a 32-hour week is clearly missing the point given the labor shortage.