Stefan Ehrlich-Adám, head of the Industry Department at the Chamber of Commerce, is sounding the alarm: Vienna is threatened with an exodus of companies and jobs. There is insufficient space for settlement or expansion.
Vienna is considered a city of high culture. What many forget: Vienna is also an important industrial location. The companies create 59,000 jobs and an added value of 7.3 billion euros. Still!
Because now Stefan Ehrlich-Adám, head of the industry division at the Chamber of Commerce, is sounding the alarm: “In Vienna there are currently 2,127 hectares of special industrial estates, of which only 140 hectares are free. No new ones are added. With current developments, we will no longer have any space in ten years.”
In ten years there will be no more room
The reason: Viennese industry is growing. Companies are expanding existing locations despite the difficult economic situation. And international companies are also participating. But there is a lack of new space to enable further business establishments. Ehrlich-Adám adds: “The areas that are still available are poorly developed in terms of infrastructure. The best example is the lack of connection in Donaustadt to the S1.”
“In the best case, companies go to Lower Austria”
And the expert paints a bleak picture: no new companies can establish themselves there, and successful existing companies cannot expand their branches and have to move from Vienna. At best to Lower Austria, at worst to Asia or North America.
Ehrlich-Adám: “Of course, the industry must also work on densification options. However, efforts are needed to keep industry in the city and develop new areas.”
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.
