Post apprentices run Klagenfurt branch as Austrian Post cuts outlets

Eight apprentices are independently running the Austrian Post branch at Klagenfurt Central Station this week as the company reduces its branch network and expands self-service stations, ORF reported.

The Austrian Post has cut the number of its branches in recent years from 24 to 17 while expanding its network of self-service stations. The company is currently training 250 apprentices across Austria to meet its need for skilled workers.

The apprentices selected for the Klagenfurt assignment need little assistance, according to their trainer Melissa Sitter. Their tasks were coordinated in advance, she said, so everyone knew what to do.

“At the beginning it is very stressful because everyone comes in and nobody knows exactly where everything is,” apprentice Julia Schober said. After the team had set everything up, she added, it gradually settled into a routine.

The company is offering additional benefits to attract young employees. Anyone who stays with Austrian Post for at least two years after completing their training will have their driving licence paid for, among other benefits.

Austrian Post is also looking to hire 300 additional parcel delivery workers. Chief Executive Walter Oblin said the company was under economic pressure, including after a 3-euro European Union parcel charge introduced on July 1 led to a roughly 30 percent decline in parcels from outside the EU.

Oblin said the decline was expected to recover in the medium term, but would have a significant short-term impact.

Letter volumes are also falling sharply, contributing to changes in the post office network. The number of self-service stations is increasing, and the company said customers across Austria were making strong use of the facilities, which are available around the clock.

Austrian Post processed 35 million parcels through such stations last year, Oblin said. Nearly 100 self-service postal stations are expected to be available in Carinthia within the next year.