Kärnten sees company insolvencies rise again in September

Company insolvencies in Carinthia rose again in September after easing slightly in August, with hospitality, construction and retail among the hardest-hit sectors, ORF reported.

The Alpine Creditors’ Association (AKV) said there was no sign of an improvement, with insolvency numbers remaining at a long-term record level. It attributed failures to a combination of changing markets, cost pressures, staff shortages and management errors. The AKV expects around 400 company insolvencies in Carinthia by the end of 2026.

Hospitality has recorded the most insolvencies in the first nine months of the year. The number was about 55% higher than in the same period of 2025, with more than 56 hospitality businesses entering insolvency proceedings by the end of September, compared with 36 a year earlier. Construction ranked second, with 48 cases, followed by retail with 45.

Across all sectors, Carinthia recorded 342 company insolvencies in the first three quarters of 2026, a 12.87% increase year on year. Liabilities to creditors totalled about 161.57 million euros, down from 219.87 million euros in the same period of 2025. The AKV said this indicated that smaller companies had become insolvent this year, a trend also reflected in the number of employees affected.