No more rays of hope

A cold headwind is currently blowing on the job market

Lower Austria is now also slipping into the economic doldrums: while there have been at least a few rays of hope so far, the AMS balance sheet for March no longer shows anything positive at all!

It is true that the AMS still claims to recognize a "strong dynamic on the labour market" in Lower Austria. However, this pious wish is obviously not reflected in the figures, data and facts of the March balance sheet. Only the number of people without a job has increased dynamically. 44,451 people are currently registered as unemployed, 11.8 percent more than a year ago.

More long-term unemployed again
Men (+13.5%) are more affected than women (+9.6%). While there has been a positive trend in long-term unemployment - which has been falling non-stop for 30 months - there has also been a slight increase of 1.4% in this area in recent weeks.

Young people without jobs
However, the number one concern remains the job shortage among young people up to the age of 24. Here, the increase compared to March 2023 is a whopping 23.8%. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that almost half of those affected only have a compulsory school leaving certificate. And: "Our consultations show that psychosocial problems are increasing among young people," explains AMS Director Sandra Kern. However, there are currently 1381 apprenticeship vacancies.

The poor economic development is causing a significant increase in unemployment, although this is slightly lower in Lower Austria than in the rest of Austria.

Sandra Kern, Leiterin des Arbeitsmarktservice NÖ

Fewer people in employment
This time, the number of people employed in the largest federal state is down. Around 652,000 people are employed in Lower Austria as blue-collar or white-collar workers. Compared to the spring of last year, this represents a decrease of 0.3 percent.

Dark clouds over the Mostviertel region
There is a clear regional trend in the unemployment figures. The Mostviertel is apparently the part of the country hardest hit by job losses. In Waidhofen an der Ybbs, the increase compared to March 2023 is as high as 49.7 percent, in the Scheibbs district at 31.1 percent and in the Amstetten district at 21.5 percent. The lowest increase was recorded in the Schwechat region, where "only" 3.4 percent more unemployed people are currently registered than a year ago.