Lower Austria turns to retraining as unemployment rises

Lower Austria is updating its skills atlas to guide workers and businesses towards relevant training as unemployment climbs. The plan was presented at a labour market summit on Wednesday, ORF reported.

The atlas, first introduced five years ago, is intended to serve as a central platform for information on education and further training. Representatives of the provincial government, the AMS, and the chambers representing workers and businesses met at the logistics centre of underwear maker Triumph in Wiener Neustadt to discuss the skills employers and employees will need.

Participants said digitalisation is changing the workplace and requires both production processes and workers to adapt. AMS regional director Sandra Kern said future prospects would depend less on a person’s formal qualification and more on their skills and willingness to learn new things.

Labour councillor Susanne Rosenkranz said the range of training options offered by the AMS, WIFI, the Chamber of Labour and the province could leave people confused. The revised atlas is meant to help them navigate those choices. It will be updated as requirements change, with the aim of matching workers’ qualifications to businesses’ needs.

Representatives of the two chambers stressed that continuing education is important for employers as well as workers. Chamber of Labour president Markus Wieser said smaller businesses could use the atlas to find suitable qualifications more quickly. Economic Chamber president Wolfgang Ecker said companies needed to invest in apprenticeships and training.

There are no plans to increase provincial funding for training, Rosenkranz said, adding that existing programmes would be reviewed to check whether they still meet labour market needs. The province said 46,163 people were registered as unemployed with the AMS at the end of September. Unemployment had risen by 7.7 percent, the largest increase among Austria’s federal states, and forecasts point to further rises in the coming months.

Provincial governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner called on the federal government to provide incentives for business investment, including an investment allowance or higher depreciation options. She said such measures could help revive employment and economic growth.