One in six (17.3%) of the state’s total of 4,480,900 employees would like to work a shorter week. This is the result of Statistics Austria’s current microcensus labor force survey. This gives an extra boost to the debate on the possible introduction of a 32-hour working week.
The employees indicated that they themselves would accept a financial loss in the event of a reduction in working hours. On the other hand, relatively few people indicate that they would like to work more hours (6.5%). The trend towards more part-time work continues: “Every sixth employee would like to work less, 15.8% of them employed women and 18.7% men,” says Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria.
On the other hand, the majority (76.1%) indicate that they do not want to change anything about the normal weekly working hours at the moment.
Concrete negotiations already in Germany
Recently, the SPÖ in particular had insisted that working hours be reduced to a 32-hour week. In Germany they are already a step further. The metalworkers’ union IG Metall is already calling for a corresponding reduction in weekly working hours with full wage compensation in the collective bargaining negotiations.
Unemployment rose slightly
Meanwhile, the number of unemployed in Austria has risen by 26,800 by international definition to a total of 224,700 compared to the second quarter of the previous year. “The economic slowdown is also impacting the labor market. Although the number of people in work rose by 42,100 year-on-year to almost 4.5 million in the second quarter of 2023, unemployment rose again at the same time,” Statistics Austria said.
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.
