Tyrol unemployment rises slightly as sector trends diverge

Unemployment in Tyrol rose 1.6% year on year in October, with increases particularly in retail and health and social care, ORF reported. The unemployment rate remained steady at 5.5%.

As of 31 October, 20,541 people were registered as unemployed in Tyrol, 324 more than a year earlier. Austria’s unemployment rate was 7.3%, with 314,499 people across the country seeking work.

Johannes Schranz, deputy head of Tyrol’s public employment service, said employment continued to grow slightly while the number of people seeking work increased. He said training and quick placement remained important, noting that the figures showed not everyone was benefiting equally from the trend.

Among people under 25 registered with the service, unemployment edged down by two people, or 0.1%, compared with the previous year. Unemployment rose 6.7% in retail and 6.6% in health and social care. It fell 6.4% in manufacturing and 0.9% in accommodation and food services.

The number of immediate vacancies in other business services rose 21.9%, the largest increase among sectors. Available apprenticeship vacancies fell 6% to 1,047, while the number of people immediately seeking apprenticeships rose 2.3% to 534. Vacancies still substantially outnumbered applicants.