WKÖ head: "Must not accept labor shortages as inevitable"

There is potential, for example among women and older people, which needs to be better exploited

Vienna (OTS) – “The current labor market figures from Statistics Austria show once again how serious the shortage of workers is. Despite multiple crises, the number of vacancies is at an all-time high and will probably remain so for a long time to come. Because more and more baby boomers are retiring and the young generation entering the labor market will not be able to fill this gap,” warns WKÖ Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf. It is important to mitigate these consequences of demographic development: “We must not accept the labor shortage as inevitable, because the consequences would be fatal for the future development of our prosperity and the ability to finance our social system. Instead, we urgently need to take countermeasures and pull on several levers at the same time,” demands Kopf.

For example, there is still potential among women that needs to be activated to a greater extent. “The social partners have been campaigning for a nationwide expansion of childcare for a long time. We have to make it easier for women who work part-time to increase their working hours,” said Kopf. Measures are also needed for the growing group of older people. “There are a lot of people here who are retiring and would like to and still be able to be active in the labor market. Appropriate incentives can make better use of this potential,” says Kopf.

But overtime must also become more tax-friendly. “Particularly in view of the labor shortage, our companies also need employees who are willing to work overtime. This should remain more net of the gross,” demands Kopf. At present, only ten overtime premiums per month are tax-free, and he believes that doubling is urgently needed. As an additional lever, you need relief for the red-white-red card. “Where there are no skilled workers to be found in Austria, we have to recruit them in a targeted manner on the international labor market for Austria. This will also be an important measure against labor shortages,” said the WKÖ Secretary General. (PWK070/DFS)