The shortage of skilled workers is getting worse: according to the Eurobarometer, about 46% of small and medium sized enterprises is not able to find suitable employees. Additionally bureaucratic hurdles are severely slowing down the necessary recruitment from third countries. For Austria’s economy this procedure is of particular importance due to the actual shortage in main sectors such as healthcare and skilled trades. Brussels is now planning relief measures to speed up processes and to dismantle the existing barriers.
As main obstacle, 31% of companies are quoting highly demanding process of administrative and immigration procedures. This is additionally followed by the difficult search for suitable profiles and language obstacles.
The domestic labor market is structurally exposed to an aging population and a historically big shortage of qualified staff in key sectors, such as tourism, skilled trades and healthcare. Since the demand can not be met only from domestic sources and the EU, the Austrian economy is highly dependent upon immigration from third countries. The bureaucratic obstacles stated by companies mainly align with their long standing experiences when applying for the Red-White-Red Card. (document for residence and work permit in Austria).
