Skills shortage & co.

Number of red-white-red cards increased further in 2024

The list of shortage occupations nationwide includes a large number of professions, including technicians for heavy current technology, agricultural machinery builders and graduate engineers.(Bild: Wisut - stock.adobe.com)

The shortage of skilled workers remains a key challenge for the Austrian economy and has led, among other things, to more Red-White-Red Cards being issued in 2024. There were 9741 in total - an increase of 21 percent.

• In order to facilitate the recognition process for foreign qualifications, the "Pre-Check" register for the Philippines was introduced in autumn 2024. This system is intended to accelerate the immigration of qualified workers in shortage occupations.

• There are currently 102 Philippine qualifications on the register, with more to follow. In addition to the Philippines, Albania, Brazil, Indonesia and Kosovo are also among the focus countries for the targeted recruitment of skilled workers.

Nursing training increased by 16 percent
In addition to the immigration strategy, the government continues to focus on increasing the domestic potential of skilled workers. In 2024, around 269,000 people received further qualifications through AMS programs, and the number of nursing training courses increased by 16 percent.

"Without these measures, the shortage of workers in areas such as healthcare or tourism would be even more pronounced," says Minister of Labor and Economic Affairs Martin Kocher (ÖVP).

An additional 75 million euros are available this year for the labor market integration of persons entitled to asylum and subsidiary protection.

EU and EEA citizens are also particularly important for the Austrian labor market. The number of workers from these countries has almost doubled in the last ten years to 605,977.