43,000 workers in Upper Austria are living in poverty despite having jobs
Seven percent of employed people in Upper Austria are among the “working poor”, according to AK Oberösterreich. That means they are in work but have less than €1,827 net per month available.
Across Upper Austria, 43,000 people are currently classed as working poor under the EU-SILC survey. Austria-wide, the figure is 361,000, including 203,000 people working full-time and 95,000 working part-time. In Upper Austria alone, 30,000 households with children are affected.
AK Oberösterreich said figures from its Arbeitsklima Index show that financial insecurity has a direct effect on health and well-being. It is calling for a collectively agreed nationwide minimum wage and salary of €2,000 gross for full-time work, childcare that makes full-time or longer part-time work possible, a right to training, and action on inflation in energy, rents and food.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about the 'minimum wage' in Austria
AUA warns provincial flights could be at risk without lower costs
Austrian Airlines chief Annette Mann has warned that Vienna is Europe’s second most expensive aviation location, according to ORF. She said that without lower costs, AUA may have to talk about shrinking rather than growing, with provincial connections and other very short routes particularly affected.
Mann said Vienna had a small catchment area, very little industry, relatively few business travellers, a high share of tourists, high labour costs and a high tax burden. She said this meant location costs were twice as high as the EU average.
If location conditions improved, Mann said AUA could see growth opportunities, including a 13th and 14th long-haul aircraft and 700 high-quality jobs. AUA has also announced a low-cost ticket without luggage, aimed at making the airline more visible on price comparison portals, where many customers outside Austria buy tickets.
READ ALSO: What direct flights can I get from Austria's regional airports?
Uganda returnee transferred to Vienna hospital after Ebola suspicion
A woman who returned from Uganda to Upper Austria on Monday was transferred to Vienna’s Klinik Favoriten on Thursday afternoon for checks after suspected Ebola symptoms, according to Der Standard. She was moved by specialised infection transport and admitted under high safety and hygiene standards.
The woman had first been admitted to the Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Schwestern in Linz on Wednesday. A first blood sample taken in Linz did not show an Ebola infection, but the preliminary result still has to be confirmed by a second sample, which is due to happen in Vienna on Friday.
Klinik Favoriten has Austria’s only special intensive care rooms for treating highly pathogenic infectious agents. The isolation units have multi-stage lock systems and negative pressure technology designed to prevent potential pathogens from leaving the treatment area.
READ ALSO: Everything foreigners need to know about the Austrian healthcare system
Vienna expected to build fewer new homes than planned
Vienna is expected to complete fewer new homes this year than originally planned, even as the city’s population continues to grow, according to Kurier. A new-build report presented by the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday said around 9,400 homes are likely to be completed, rather than the planned 12,600.
The report said 55 percent of new-build homes are one- to two-room apartments, around a third are three-room apartments, and only 14 percent have four or more rooms. The average new-build apartment is 59 square metres, and most new-build projects are still in the outer districts, especially Donaustadt.
Around 70 percent of new homes in Vienna are built by commercial developers and 30 percent by non-profit housing associations. Michael Pisecky from the Vienna Chamber of Commerce said Vienna needed measures to create additional housing, including changes to zoning and more flexibility around the current demolition ban.
READ ALSO: Why Vienna’s property market is running out of affordable homes and what can be done
From our guides
Working in Vienna does not necessarily mean living in the capital. Our guide to the best commuter towns if you work in Vienna looks at places with strong rail links, shorter station-to-station journeys, access to nature and, in some cases, lower housing costs.
Members get access to this and other in-depth guides, explainers and practical stories on The Local Austria, helping readers understand the choices that shape daily life in Austria.
What’s happening in Austria today
Austria is set for a calm, warm and mostly sunny Friday. ORF’s forecast says high pressure will bring more than 15 hours of sunshine, with daytime highs of 23C to 30C. Wind is expected to be mostly moderate, though partly brisk in the mountains.
Vienna Pride begins today and runs until June 14th, with the Pride Conference taking place at Vienna City Hall. The larger public event, the 30th Rainbow Parade, is scheduled for June 13th.
Vienna Festival also continues today across the city, while the GECO Festival starts in Graz and the Salzburger Dult continues from 11 am at Messezentrum Salzburg.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why Austria has so many public holidays in spring
Statistik Austria is scheduled to publish several data releases today, including April unemployment under the international definition, producer prices, tourism overnight stays, industry and construction figures, and public cash-basis budget data.
Drivers using the Austria-Slovenia route should be aware that long-term works remain active at the Karawankentunnel on the A11 Karawanken Autobahn. The new eastern tube was completed in March 2026, with renovation of the existing western tube now under way.
Vocabulary
der Mindestlohn – minimum wage
die Bundesländerverbindung – a route connecting Austria’s provinces
die KIM-Verordnung – Austria’s former mortgage lending regulation
das Sonder-Intensivzimmer – special intensive care isolation room
das Abbruchverbot – demolition ban
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, you can contact us at news@thelocal.at or leave a comment below.
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