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

	2017	2018	2019
Total activity rate	76.33%	76.63%	76.86%
Men activity rate	80.83%	81.34%	81.47%
Women activity rate	71.77%	71.86%	72.18%

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

Working Conditions

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.

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage

No official minimun wage. Under a collective bargaining agreement, to which 80% of the workforce belong, the minumum wage is EUR 1,000 per month.

Average Wage

According to the OECD, the gross average wage is USD 53,903 per year in 2019.

Social Contributions

Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: Pension insurance: 12.55%
Accident insurance: 1.30%
Health insurance: 3.78%
Unemployment insurance: 3%
Miscellaneus: 0.85%
Family burdens equalisation levy: 3.9%
Chamber of commerce contribution: between 0.36% and 0.44%
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees:

	Employee (%)	Employer (%)	Total (%)
Pension Insurance	10.25	12.55	22.80
Accident Insurance	0	1.30	1.30
Health Insurance	3.95 (wage)/3.82 (salary)	3.70 (wage)/3.83 (salary)	7.65
Unemployment Insurance	3.00	3.00	6.00
Accomodation promotion contribution	0.50	0.50	1.00
Chamber contribution	0.50	0	0.50
Insovlency guarantee funds contribution	0	0.45	0.45

Maximum wage base is EUR 4,530 for monthly contributions and maximum payment is EUR 9,060 for bonus or special payments.

Social Partners

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

Find out more about Operating a Business in Austria on GlobalTrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.

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