New impetus for better care: Parents should have a fixed right from their offspring’s first year. This would require an annual investment of one billion euros.
Every child who needs a kindergarten in Austria should get one. This demand is not new, but now all social partners and industry are working together to support it: “Against the backdrop of the dire labor and skilled labor shortage, a turbocharger in the expansion of quality childcare with an extension of opening times is a must,” emphasizes WKÖ vice boss Martha Schultz.
Higher wages for staff
A billion euros must be invested in the expansion every year, demands AK chairman Renate Anderl on behalf of all social partners. Rapid training of additional primary school teachers across Austria would be just as necessary as their better pay and appreciation. At the moment there is far too little care in many regions (eg Upper Austria or Styria). In total, only 29 percent of children under the age of three have a place, while the EU, for example, has been demanding more for more than ten years. “If all women could work, we would only have a coverage rate of 17 percent,” says Infineon CEO Sabine Herlitschka.
Changes will now be made in the upcoming financial settlement negotiations. Possible measures were discussed with experts during a summit on Tuesday.
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.
