Austria’s Labour Minister Korinna Schumann has set out new priorities for the country’s public employment service, with people who have recently moved to Austria among the groups the government wants to get into work more effectively.
Speaking alongside AMS board member Petra Draxl and WIFO labour-market economist Helmut Mahringer this week, Schumann said the government sees considerable untapped employment potential among women, older workers and people with refugee backgrounds.
For newly arrived people, particularly women, this should include faster access to the labour market and better coordination between the AMS, Austria’s provinces and the authorities responsible for social assistance, according to a report published by Finanzen.at.
For foreign residents looking for work in Austria, the announcement is significant because the AMS doesn’t just advertise vacancies. It actually plays a major role in job placement, training and qualification programmes for registered jobseekers.
What is Austria planning for newly arrived jobseekers?
Schumann said that people who had recently arrived in Austria should be more effectively integrated into employment, with a particular focus on women.
Draxl said cooperation at the points where different parts of the Austrian system meet also needed to improve. That includes the AMS, provincial governments, and social welfare authorities.
Another priority will be identifying people who could move into specialist or professional training and helping them get there.
But Monday’s announcement didn’t spell out a new nationwide programme, new eligibility criteria or a timetable for individual measures. So, there's still a lot to discuss before any relevant changes are announced.
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What could this look like in practice?
Some existing AMS programmes give an indication of the sort of support that could fall under the government’s new priorities.
AMS Vienna’s 2026 programme, for example, already makes the labour-market integration of people with migration and refugee experience one of its main focuses.
Measures in the capital include training combined with German-language support, multilingual advice and targeted job fairs.
AMS Vienna is also focusing on recognition of qualifications obtained abroad, basic education programmes and helping jobseekers find work outside their immediate region.
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Why is Austria focusing on migrants and refugees?
The shift is partly about demographics.
AMS research published earlier this year argued that Austria will need to increase employment participation among women, older people and people with migrant backgrounds as its working-age population changes.
The research also said targeted immigration and more training within Austria would be needed to meet future demand for workers.
Schumann pointed to a projected shortage of around 51,000 workers with intermediate-level qualifications between 2024 and 2029 as one example of the pressures facing the labour market.
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Key vocabulary
Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS) – Austria’s public employment service
Arbeitsmarkt – labour market
Qualifizierung – training or gaining professional qualifications
Anerkennung von Qualifikationen – recognition of qualifications
Arbeitsaufnahme – starting employment
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