Austrian Government Aims to Increase Skilled Immigration and Address Labor Shortages

PeopleOther ♦ Published: July 18, 2023; 15:31 ♦ (Vindobona)

The Austrian government, led by Economy and Labor Minister Martin Kocher, plans to attract a minimum of 15,000 skilled workers from non-EU countries to Austria annually by 2027 through the Red White Red card (Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte) program.

Austria has a flexible immigration system in the form of the Red-White-Red Card. Following personal and labor market policy criteria, qualified workers from third countries and their family members can immigrate to Austria permanently. / Picture: © Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

In a joint press release, the Ministry announced its intention to develop comprehensive strategies in collaboration with Social Minister Johannes Rauch and representatives from trade unions and employers to combat the personnel shortage.

With 118,566 open positions in Austria in June, according to the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS), many businesses across various…