Exports in danger?

Will the engine now be slowed down?

The BMW engine plant in Steyr has an export quota of 100 percent, as does the Innviertel-based aircraft supplier FACC, which is managed by Robert Machtlinger. Cheese, such as that produced by Berglandmilch, is also in demand outside Austria.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/BMW Group Werk Steyr, Markus Wenzel (2))

In 2023, Upper Austrian companies exported more than any other federal state in Austria, with products worth 54.1 billion euros. But inflation is now threatening this positive development. Doris Hummer, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce, is registering falling demand.

Umbrellas from Braunau for Rolls-Royce and many Škoda models; mozzarella from Feldkirchen near Mattighofen, which is eaten and processed in Italy - these are just two examples of how Upper Austria is causing a stir in Europe and around the world.

Record surpassed in 2022
Upper Austria has held the title of export emperor in a comparison of federal states for years - the latest figures from Statistics Austria underline this. With exports worth EUR 54.1 billion, the federal state above the Enns surpassed the record figure of EUR 52.3 billion set in 2022. In view of the growth rates of recent years, this is "only" moderate growth, but still a significant increase.

The export balance for 2023 once again shows Upper Austria's leading position, while imports declined.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Adobe Stock)

Upper Austria accounts for 27 percent of Austrian exports. Companies such as aircraft supplier FACC and the BMW engine plant in Steyr drive these figures up enormously - both companies have an export rate of 100 percent. This means that all of their products are sold abroad without exception.

We need strategies and answers to get back on a competitive growth path - both in the EU and in Austria.

Doris Hummer, Präsidentin Wirtschaftskammer OÖ

While Markus Achleitner, Upper Austria's Minister of Economic Affairs, is pleased with Upper Austria's position as the "economic locomotive of the Republic", Doris Hummer is concerned about the decline in exports in the current calendar year. The sharp rise in unit labor costs in particular is making it more difficult for products manufactured in Austria.

"We have to stop this development now if we don't want to price ourselves completely out of the markets," says the President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Germany is Upper Austria's most important customer country.