What applies now

End of educational leave: flood of inquiries at AMS and AK

Educational leave is likely to come to an end - especially in Styria, where more than 4,000 people have recently received training allowance, this is causing uncertainty. What the expert now advises.

Austria must make savings. The FPÖ and ÖVP negotiators have named the end of educational leave as one of the possible cost-cutting measures. Bernadette Pöcheim from the Styrian Chamber of Labor knows that there are now many uncertainties for those affected: "We have been drowning in requests over the past few weeks," says the head of the Women and Equality Department. 

The reason: many mothers have agreed with their employer to first take a year of parental leave and then a year of educational leave. "There is often an agreement, but the question is whether there will also be an entitlement to training allowance - you can only apply for this a maximum of three weeks in advance."

Parents and recipients of the continuing education allowance are now left in a vacuum.

Bernadette Pöcheim, AK-Expertin

AK recommends clause
The Chamber of Labor currently recommends making such agreements with a proviso clause: "That you only take the leave if there is a cash benefit." Alternatively, baby leave can be extended until the child's second birthday (if both parents share the entitlement). 

In the past five years, the number of people taking educational leave has doubled, says Pöcheim: "Following the income-based childcare allowance, it was lucrative and easy." Financially, the abolition is a cut. The lack of childcare options for (young) children also plays a role. Current figures from the AMS (from September 2024) show that 3394 of 4074 recipients in Styria were women. 

However, Pöcheim also notes: "In terms of lifelong learning, it is a shame that educational leave is to be abolished. Many were able to complete a degree or do an apprenticeship this way." In times of crisis, this gave companies the opportunity to retain employees. At the same time, the educational goals were too low; most recipients of further education allowance were academics.