Austria sets tourism quota, giving Vorarlberg about 560 seasonal jobs

Austria has set a quota of 6,250 seasonal tourism workers for 2027 and 2028, with about 560 places allocated to Vorarlberg, ORF reported. The new rules also allow a 50 percent increase above the quota and let businesses in other states use places that are not taken up.

The Vorarlberg allocation is about 22 percent lower than the previous quota, a reduction that roughly matches the share left unused last year. The federal government agreed on the nationwide quota on Friday, according to the Social Ministry.

Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer said setting the quota for two years would give tourism businesses the certainty they need to prepare for winter and summer seasons. State Secretary Josef Schellhorn said recruitment and preparations begin months before the first guests arrive.

Labour Minister Korinna Schumann said seasonal workers can fill additional roles when the available domestic workforce cannot meet demand. She said the placement of local workers must take priority. Before granting a work permit, Austria’s Public Employment Service checks whether a vacancy can be filled by a registered jobseeker or someone already integrated into the labour market. Employers must also meet wage and working conditions and provide accommodation that is customary in the location.

An internal note included in material sent by the minister’s office described the reduction of 21.875 percent as a central success. The ministry, meanwhile, highlighted that this year’s regulation was completed earlier than in previous years, when it was published in December.

The decision followed strong criticism from the hotel industry. On October 27, Heike Ladurner-Strolz, head of Vorarlberg’s hotel association and manager of the Zimba hotel in Schruns, warned that delays were putting the coming winter season at risk. She said her hotel, which has about 40 employees, relies on quota places for roughly 10 percent of its workforce, and that it had been uncertain whether two employees would be able to come. Workers from Serbia, Nepal and Sri Lanka need time to apply for visas through embassies, she said.