However, unemployment figures continue to fall. According to the Ministry of Labor, pre-registrations for short-time work increased by 1,582 to 171,681 compared to the previous week. “The reason for this is the uncertainties caused by the delivery difficulties caused by the Ukraine crisis and the economic sanctions,” said Labor Minister Martin Kocher (ÖVP). Compared to the previous year, however, there is a massive decline in short-time work. At the end of March 2021, around 348,500 people were on short-time work.
However, the Ukraine crisis has not yet had an impact on the unemployment figures. The number of unemployed people including AMS training participants fell by 8,899 to 343,518 compared to the previous week. Of these, 269,464 people are looking for a job and 74,054 people are taking part in training courses run by the Public Employment Service (AMS). “A positive trend can still be seen on the labor market. In addition to the ongoing positive economic momentum, seasonal effects are also responsible for this,” explained Kocher in a broadcast on Tuesday. The further development is “but uncertain”
For the labor minister, the effects of the war in Ukraine on the Austrian labor market are “still difficult to assess at this point in time”. The uncertain situation and the sanctions against Russia would slow down economic momentum and also allow unemployment to decrease more slowly. “Severe negative effects on the economy and the labor market cannot be ruled out. We are very well prepared to provide the best possible support for the displaced Ukrainians on the labor market,” said Kocher. After registration with the police, the employer can be “issued an unbureaucratic employment permit for the respective displaced person.”
How many people will flee from the Ukraine to Austria this year and also want to work in the labor market “cannot be seriously estimated at the moment” according to the labor market service. The Ministry of Labor also has no forecast for the time being. “It is not yet possible to estimate how many displaced persons are coming to Austria and how many of them are interested in employment,” the ministry said yesterday when asked by the APA. According to information from the Ministry of the Interior, Austria is currently not one of the main target countries. “The interest of potential employers is very high, especially in the non-city states,” according to the Ministry of Labor.
Source: Nachrichten
