Despite the enormous price increases, according to director of the trade association Rainer Will, hardly anyone wants to go to work anymore. “It doesn’t pay to stay somewhere for 40 hours,” he explains in a conversation with Katia Wagner. He describes the fact that the federal government has called off the planned labor market reform as “pure cheek and bullshit”. There is a counter-attack not only from SPÖ representatives, but also from a social worker…
Marcus Arige, president of the Vienna Social Democratic Business Association, is sure that “it is not true that you are better off not working”. “People are motivated”, is his finding.
Do people still want to work?
Petra Schmidt, head of health and social services at the Red Cross, also believes that the ‘view of man’ is different. “Very few people decide not to go to work,” she says. A secure job is also important for mental health. In general, she currently experiences, due to the inflationary crisis, that many people are now turning to the aid organizations of the Red Cross “who never thought in their lives that it would affect them”.
“Receptionist applicant wanted to work from home”
Peter Dobcak, the head of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, does not see work motivation as a problem for employers, but that many working hours would be missing due to the high priority given to the “work-life balance” of future generations. The young people would only like to work a maximum of 30 hours. He reports on a bizarre case involving a business colleague, in which the applicant for a job as a receptionist is said to have asked: “How about working from home?”.
Arige (SPÖ): “We have a government of amateurs”
On the contrary, Arige (SPÖ) holds the federal government responsible. “We have a government of amateurs!” he says. In his eyes, a lot of “show” has happened so far and the companies have not received any money yet. He calls for a “change of government”, ie new elections. That is the only way we have a chance for reforms. Petra Schmidt of the Red Cross also hopes for them. The one-off payments would have brought short-term solace, but what is needed is more of a lasting solace.
“By the end of the year, 6,000 stores must close”
After the difficult pandemic period, sales in the hospitality industry were more pleasant again. “The restaurants are full”, Peter Dobcak is visibly satisfied. The Christmas retail trade was also generally better than last year. But: “Last year we also had a hard lockdown,” explains retail expert Rainer Will. The fact that, according to surveys, 80 percent of Austrians would limit their consumer behavior due to inflation is noticeable for retailers. His forecast for 2023 is correspondingly gloomy: “By the end of the year, 6,000 stores will not make it and close”.
“Katia Wagner – the talk” can be seen every Wednesday at 8:15 PM on krone.tv and at 11:00 PM on ntv Austria. Join the discussion and tune in!
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
