Currently 219,000 people on short-time work, 449,000 without a job.
The current corona lockdown shows clear consequences on the labor market. The number of people on short-time work rose compared to the previous week by 49,000 to 219,000. The number of unemployed increased by 5,300 to 449,000. Labor Minister Christine Aschbacher (ÖVP) expects a further increase in the next few weeks.
“The situation on the labor market is serious. We are prepared, we can cushion the effects with our measures,” said Aschbacher on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) in Vienna. “Now it is important that we contain the virus, that we come down with the infection numbers.”
There are currently 448,792 unemployed people in Austria, of which 382,135 are unemployed and 66,657 are in training. Compared to the previous year there are around 88,000 more unemployed. There are currently 218,871 people on Corona short-time work, and 26,000 applications have been received since the start of phase 3 at the beginning of October. Most of the people on short-time work are in the hotel and catering industry as well as in retail and in the manufacture of goods, said the Minister of Labor. So far, the Public Employment Service (AMS) has paid out around 5.2 billion euros for short-time working and approved 8.2 billion euros.
With regard to an impending wave of insolvencies, Austria is “prepared for various scenarios for the coming years,” said Aschbacher. Payouts from the insolvency remuneration fund of EUR 152.6 million for 2021 and EUR 213.1 million for 2022 are expected. This is offset by over 800 million euros currently in the insolvency remuneration fund.
The union continues to insist on an increase in unemployment benefits due to the corona crisis. “We continue to demand an increase in unemployment benefits to 70 percent net replacement rate,” said the senior ÖGB secretary, Ingrid Reischl, in a broadcast on Tuesday. In addition, the education and training offensive of the turquoise-green federal government is of no use to anyone “if new jobs are not created at the same time”.
The Corona job offensive, which began in October and is worth 700 million euros, including training and further education for over 100,000 unemployed, also has an ecological focus. According to current AMS plans, around 3,200 people are to be trained in the environment, wood, and agriculture and forestry, and 17,400 people are to be trained in the electronics / digital technology area. Among other things, there are training courses in the field of photovoltaics, e-mobility or garden and green space design, said the Minister of Labor.
Environment Minister Gewessler expects a sharp increase in “green jobs” through the efforts of the public sector and companies. “Climate protection will create and secure hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next few years,” said Gewessler on Tuesday. Among other things, you need numerous photovoltaic installers, wind turbine technicians and electricians. The environment minister also appealed to women to train in these promising industries. “These are jobs with security and a future.”
