Austria recorded almost four million employees in February of this year, as the Austrian Social Insurance revealed.
Of those, 994,216 were foreign workers, with Germans leading the list, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
Overall, the number of foreign employees has increased compared to the previous months. More specifically, in December 2023 and January 2024, Austria recorded 973,193 and 980,567, respectively.
In addition to the previous months, the foreign labour market has increased compared to last year, when Austria recorded 966,376 foreign workers.
The most representative foreign countries in the Austrian labour market were Germany (12.9 per cent), followed by Hungary (12.7 per cent), and Romania (7.7 per cent).
More specifically, Germans accounted for 127,938 among foreign workers, Hungarians for 126,169, and Romanians for 76,418.
Germans, the most represented foreign workforce in Austria, mainly work in Wien, Tirol and Salzburg. More specifically, the number of German workers in Austria per region is as follows:
- Wien (32,123)
- Tyrol (23,754)
- Upper Austria (17,343)
- Salzburg (16,244)
- Vorarlberg (13,162)
- Lower Austria (9,767)
- Styria (9,033)
- Carinthia (5,309)
- Burgenland (1,203)
Regarding continents, most foreigners working in Austria are from Europe, followed by Asia and Africa.
Overall, the highest number of foreigners working in Austria were from the following countries:
- Germany (127,938)
- Hungary (126,169)
- Romania (76,418)
- Türkiye (63,891)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (61,209)
- Croatia (60,328)
- Serbia (49,334)
- Poland (44,561)
- Slovakia (44,521)
- Slovenia (28,130)
Top 10 Sectors in Austria With Highest Number of Foreign Workers
The foreign workforce in Austria is engaged across different industries. However, the sectors with the highest number of foreign employees include manufacturing of goods, hospitality, food services, trade, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.
Regarding these statistics, the Austrian Social Insurance considered only registered full-time workers.
Throughout the last year, several industries in Austria faced a shortage of workers. In response to the labour shortage last October, Austrian authorities have announced their plans to welcome hundreds of Filipino workers.
More specifically, in the coming years, Austria is set to welcome about 500 Filipino workers across various sectors, including healthcare, services, tourism, hospitality, construction and engineering, and information technology, for employment purposes.
Last month, Austria and the United States launched a new Working Holiday Program, offering young Austrian and US citizens the opportunity to learn about each other’s culture, everyday life, and the working world.
The Austrian Minister of Labour and Ectomfinance, Martin Kocher, said that this agreement benefits both Austrian citizens by offering valuable international experience and the job market by addressing the labour shortage.
