Unemployment rises slightly in Upper Austria as women’s joblessness climbs

Unemployment in Upper Austria rose 2.2 per cent year on year to 36,755 people in October, ORF reported. The unemployment rate was 5 per cent, the second-lowest among Austria’s provinces after Salzburg.

The figures differed for men and women. There were 18,963 unemployed men, slightly fewer than a year earlier. Iris Schmidt, head of the regional office of Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS), said demand for staff in technical and skilled-trade jobs was helping men find work.

Women’s unemployment rose 6 per cent year on year, leaving 17,792 women without work, or 1,003 more than in October 2025. The AMS cited falling demand for staff in administration, office jobs and retail as contributing factors.

Upper Austria had 698,000 people in dependent employment, a slight increase from October 2025. Companies were also seeking staff: the number of immediately available vacancies rose 3.2 per cent in the previous month.

Unemployment fell most sharply in the districts of Braunau, down 8 per cent, and Eferding, down 10.1 per cent. The biggest year-on-year increases were in Rohrbach, up 9.6 per cent, and in Kirchdorf and Wels, both up 8.3 per cent.

The Greens said long-term unemployed people, those over 50, women and people with disabilities were increasingly affected. The party called for more financial support for social organisations. Its labour-market spokeswoman, Brigitte Huber-Reiter, said counselling, training and employment projects were needed to better connect people with jobs.

Hans Karl Schaller, the Social Democrats’ labour-market spokesman, called for more training places specifically for women. He said the number of women in training had risen by just 0.7 per cent while women’s unemployment increased by 6 per cent. Schaller said programmes for women should be maintained, with state funding through upperWork if necessary.