Skills Shortage in Vienna: Thousands of Jobs at the City of Vienna Remain Unfilled
The City of Vienna is facing a major challenge: The ongoing shortage of skilled workers and the retirement wave of the baby boomers require massive efforts to continue guaranteeing a functioning municipal administration and services of general interest. Despite extensive recruitment measures, thousands of positions are still unfilled.
Vienna is actively seeking staff through large-scale job campaigns as thousands of vacancies remain unfilled. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Thomas Ledl / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
In March 2023, the City of Vienna launched a comprehensive job campaign to cover staffing requirements and encourage people to apply to the city. Numerous initiatives were launched afterwards under the motto “Working in Vienna,” including intensive advertising measures and participation in job fairs. The results of this campaign are impressive: The number of applications increased by 40 percent compared to previous years. According to the City of Vienna, around 7,900 monthly applications were received for an average of 500 advertised positions in 2023.
Positive development, but many challenges remain
A total of around 6,052 people were newly recruited to the municipal service in 2023. This is the first time that the number of new recruits has exceeded the number of people leaving. “We are well prepared to cope with demographic change and can therefore make provisions in good time,” explained a city spokesperson, as reported by ORF. Nevertheless, the need for action remains high: by 2030, around 20,000 new positions will still need to be filled, particularly in the areas of care, nurseries, and administration.
The greatest challenges remain in nursing, one of the sectors most affected by the shortage of skilled workers. The Vienna Healthcare Association, which provides almost half of all municipal employees, is constantly looking for qualified staff to maintain a high quality of care. The demand for specialists is also high in the City of Vienna's nurseries, as the city continues to invest heavily in early childhood education.
Attractive working conditions as the key to success
The City of Vienna positions itself as an attractive employer and offers its employees numerous benefits. Flexible working, a wide range of training and further education opportunities, and comprehensive company health management are just some of the incentives that characterize the municipal service. “We have set out our principles on how we see ourselves as an employer and how we want to shape the relationship with our employees in an employer promise,” emphasizes the city in its current campaign.
Another focus is on apprentice training. With around 67,000 employees, the City of Vienna is not only the largest employer in the federal capital but also one of the largest apprentice training companies in Austria. The city has already received several awards for the high quality of its training. The aim is to attract young people to a career in the public sector at an early stage and thus secure staffing requirements in the long term.
Diversity and inclusion as core values
The City of Vienna attaches great importance to diversity and inclusion. This is reflected both in the services it offers and in the composition of its workforce. City employees come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and bring with them a wide range of qualifications and experience. This diversity is a key success factor in meeting the requirements of a modern city.
Special attention is also paid to supporting people with disabilities. People with at least a 50 percent reduction in earning capacity are given priority in applications and can either apply directly for advertised positions or be included in the so-called talent pool. The city remains in contact with these applicants and tries to place them in suitable vacancies.
Long-term prospects and ongoing measures
The City of Vienna cooperates closely with the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (waff) and the Vienna Public Employment Service (AMS) to counter the shortage of skilled workers in the long term. Joint programs are designed not only to promote the training of new skilled workers but also to provide existing employees with further qualifications. In addition, the city offers special support for people returning to work and those who want to re-enter the labor market after a career break. The Vienna training allowance, which provides financial support during training, is also one of the key measures.
The city administration is optimistic that these comprehensive efforts will make it possible to cover staffing requirements in the long term. “Vienna is growing and so are the demands on us as a city administration. We must ensure that we can continue to provide the best care for our residents in the future,” concluded the city spokesperson, as reported by ORF. With a clear focus on training, diversity, and attractive working conditions, the City of Vienna remains one of the most important pillars of municipal infrastructure - and a role model for other cities facing similar challenges.