Two thirds of the requested sum was also used up. In the beginning, the trade was hardest hit, in the end it was the production of goods.
Around 1.16 million Austrians were on short-time work this year. Almost 5.5 billion euros have been billed so far, with the peak in April, but applications can still be submitted for autumn. For the first six months, 5.2 billion euros were paid out, according to a list by the Ministry of Labor. A good two thirds of the originally requested funds were actually used up, in Vienna this proportion was highest.
Almost 300,000 people in goods production had to go on short-time work, another 275,000 in retail. In comparison, short-time working in the hotel and catering industry as well as in construction was used less intensively, with just over 100,000 people affected. But there was a strong shift over time. While retail accounted for a third of all short-time jobs in spring, goods manufacturing was hardest hit in autumn. In contrast, there was a sharp decline in the number of apprentices: while 48,000 were still on short-time work in April, the number of those affected fell to just under 4,000 by September.
Peak April
The high point of short-time work was clearly April, in that month alone 1.86 billion euros were billed for short-time work. In May, more than a billion euros (1.25 billion euros) still flowed. Thereafter, there was a steady decline until September; no reliable figures are yet available for the second lockdown phase in autumn, as further applications can be submitted.
The average income of people on short-time work rose slightly over the course of the year. In April, the median income (half earned more, half less) was 2,250 euros. By September the median income rose to 2,380 euros. According to the Ministry of Labor, companies are making greater use of short-time working to retain skilled workers. The reduction in working hours, however, declined. In March, the companies that used short-time work reduced their working hours by almost 70 percent, in the fall, however, only by 43 percent.
