Austria flag Austria: Operating a Business in Austria

Work conditions in Austria

The Active Population in Figures

	2018	2019	2020
Labour Force	4,601,213	4,622,075	4,572,356

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Employed Persons, by Occupation (% of Total Labour Force)	2015
Manufacturing	16.0%
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	14.4%
Human health and social work activities	10.1%
Construction	8.4%
Education	6.8%
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6.8%
Accommodation and food service activities	5.8%
Professional, scientific and technical activities	5.6%
Transportation and storage	5.0%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	4.5%
Administrative and support service activities	3.3%
Financial and insurance activities	3.2%
Information and communication	2.8%
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.0%
Real estate activities	0.9%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	0.7%
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	0.5%
Mining and quarrying	0.2%

For Further Statistics: Austrian Statistics
For Further Information About the Labour Market: Federal ministry of Economics and Labour

Legal Weekly Duration: 40 hours
Retirement Age: 60 for women and 65 for men.
Working Contracts: The employment contracts in Austria are regulated by the Employment Contract Law. However terms & types of such contracts are governed by the collective bargaining agreements ("Kollektivvertrag"). A non-EU person needs to obtain a work-permit before entering into an employment contract.
Labour Laws: Consult Doing Business Website, to obtain a summary of the labor regulations that apply to local entreprises.

Minimum Wage: No official minimun wage. Under a collective bargaining agreement, to which 80% of the workforce belong, the minimum wage is EUR 1,500 per month.
Average Wage: According to the OECD, the gross average wage is USD 53,132 per year in 2020.
Social Contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: Pension insurance: 12.55%
Accident insurance: 1.20%
Health insurance: 3.78%
Unemployment insurance: 3%
Miscellaneus: 0.70%
Family burdens equalisation levy: 3.9%
Chamber of commerce contribution: between 0.34% and 0.42%
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Pension insurance: 10.25%
Health insurance: 3.87%
Unemployment insurance: 3%
Miscellaneous: 1%

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners: No major strikes have occurred since 2005. The law allows workers to form and join unions. Collective bargaining is protected in law and is freely practiced. Nearly 80% of the labour force works under a collective bargaining agreement. There are nearly nine national unions, which are part of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (OGB).
Unions: Austrian Trade Union Federation (OGB)
Unionisation Rate: 32% in the year 2015.
Labour Regulation Bodies: Federal Ministry of Labour & Economic Affairs

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