Minister of Labor Martin Kocher (ÖVP) wants to strengthen full-time jobs. “We need further steps to make full-time work more attractive, such as a lower tax burden and even better use of social benefits. In Austria there is little difference in social and family benefits, whether someone works 20 or 38 hours. If people voluntarily start working less, there is less reason to pay benefits,’ said the minister.
And Kocher warns against denying the long-term consequences of part-time jobs. “Anyone who retires at the age of 68 will receive considerably more pension per month than if they retire at the age of 62. In any case, it pays off from an economic point of view to continue working longer,” emphasizes the Minister of Labour.
Call to social partners
Companies are already responding to demographic change and are asking employees to stay longer in their professional lives.
“But the social partners will also have to reconsider, because older employees often earn more at the end of their working life on the basis of collective agreements and are therefore more expensive,” the minister said on appeal.
Regarding the low employment rate of people who have fled from Ukraine, Kocher stated in the “Kurier-Interview”: “Some displaced people want to return to Ukraine soon and see no need to work in Austria. Others also work from home – for Ukrainian companies. Of course we have to see how things continue in the medium and long term.”
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.
