Workers and industry are often adversaries and draw together in kindergartens and schools.
In rare unison, workers and industry are pressuring politicians to finally expand childcare. “Austria is the European champion when it comes to missing the targets in childcare,” AK president Renate Anderl criticizes the “Krone”. Austria has never reached this figure since the Barcelona target was introduced in 2002 (33 percent of children under 3 in care). And with the new 50 percent target, they even claimed they were no more. “That’s not all, Austria is also one of the countries in the EU with the longest breaks in parental leave.”
“Herd Bounty” makes it even worse
Anderl warns that this situation will continue to worsen, as Lower Austria and Salzburg, at the instigation of the co-governing FPÖ, use financial incentives for home childcare (keyword: “herd bonus”). Currently, by the child’s second birthday, less than two-thirds of previously employed women have returned to work.
Participation of fathers is declining again
In addition, the participation of fathers continues to decline. Only about 14 percent of men recently received childcare allowance. This means a decrease to the level of 2012. The AK receives support from the Federation of Industrialists. “In times of labor shortages and skilled labor shortages, we need to make an extra effort to attract more women from part-time to full-time employment. The reasons for the high percentage of part-time work – especially among women – are still mainly the lack of childcare places and too short opening hours,” IV chairman Georg Knill also argues in favor of expanding childcare. And it requires not only extensive, but also high-quality support.
Basic pedagogy particularly important
A high-quality primary education is the basis for the availability of well-trained workers and specialists, Knill confirms the expertise of the book author Andreas Salcher, which he expressed in the weekend’s “Krone” interview. At least lip service comes from politicians. According to Labor Minister Martin Kocher, the shortage of labor is currently one of the most important issues. To counter this, the red-white-red card was reformed. “However, we also need to increase domestic staff and expand childcare.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
