Unemployment continues to rise
Unemployment figures released on Thursday show the number of people out of work in Austria, including those registered on government training programmes, climbed to 391,000 - a 6.1 percent increase compared to September 2014.
The social affairs ministry said that the overall unemployment rate in Austria has risen by 0.7 percentage points and now stands at 8.3 percent.
People over the age of 50 and foreigners have been particularly hit hard, with unemployment rates increasing by more than 15 percent.
The sectors of the economy which are suffering the most are health and social services, which saw jobless rates climb by more than 12 percent, closely followed by the construction sector.
Almost 19,000 recognized refugees are seeking work in Austria, and almost two thirds of them live in Vienna. That’s an increase of 50 percent compared to September last year.
Most job-seeking refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Russia and three quarters of them are men. Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS) said that Syrian job seekers tend to be well educated, and that it has recently introduced a "competency check" to help refugees access suitable jobs.
Economists have said that the influx of refugees should not be a strain on Austria’s labour market, and that there just needs to be a strategy to help them integrate them as quickly as possible.
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The social affairs ministry said that the overall unemployment rate in Austria has risen by 0.7 percentage points and now stands at 8.3 percent.
People over the age of 50 and foreigners have been particularly hit hard, with unemployment rates increasing by more than 15 percent.
The sectors of the economy which are suffering the most are health and social services, which saw jobless rates climb by more than 12 percent, closely followed by the construction sector.
Almost 19,000 recognized refugees are seeking work in Austria, and almost two thirds of them live in Vienna. That’s an increase of 50 percent compared to September last year.
Most job-seeking refugees are from Syria, Afghanistan and Russia and three quarters of them are men. Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS) said that Syrian job seekers tend to be well educated, and that it has recently introduced a "competency check" to help refugees access suitable jobs.
Economists have said that the influx of refugees should not be a strain on Austria’s labour market, and that there just needs to be a strategy to help them integrate them as quickly as possible.
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