Statistically, Vienna is the only federal state in which there are too few apprenticeships.
The apprenticeship market is swept empty. Not just since Corona, but to a greater extent since the outbreak of the pandemic. The entrepreneurs are not to blame, says Renate Scheichelbauer-Schuster, spokeswoman for the commercial and craft enterprises in the Chamber of Commerce. Almost every second of the approximately 100,000 apprentices nationwide comes from their branch.
“It is not the apprenticeships that are missing, but the applicants,” says the industry spokeswoman. At the end of February 2021, there were more than 10,000 more vacant apprenticeships than applicants.
Statistically, Vienna is the only federal state in which there are too few apprenticeships. In Upper Austria and in the west of the country in particular, trainers have traditionally found it difficult to find suitable candidates. Scheichelbauer-Schuster appeals to interested young people: “Please apply now and don't wait until summer. The earlier, the better prepared you are. “
Skilled labor shortage
An appeal that is no accident. This is because companies have to adjust to the worsening shortage of skilled workers as a result of the vacant positions. Companies report that the number of applicants has halved in the past year. “It is often difficult or even impossible to find suitable apprentices,” says Mariana Kühnel, deputy general secretary in the WKO. As in the past, trade and tourism are particularly affected.
Incidentally, an extension of the apprentice bonus is not currently being considered, announced Minister of Economics Margarete Schramböck this week. Around 50 million euros have been paid out and 25,000 apprenticeship places have been secured. The problem of a lack of apprenticeship places is a selective one in Vienna, in all other federal states there are too few apprentices, so the argumentation.
To support young people in choosing a career, the WKÖ has introduced so-called talent checks, which are used by 70 percent of schools and 8th grade students across Austria. Last year around 65,000 students took part in the tests.
