© SPÖ

01. 05. 09. - 13:30

• more Business news
• RSS Feed Business

01. 05. 09. - 13:30

Austrian unemployment figures remain high

By Thomas Hochwarter

The number of jobless people in Austria soared last month, new figures have revealed.

The Austrian Labour Market Service (AMS) said today (Fri) preliminary figures for April show 258,240 people unemployed - an increase of 25.9 per cent compared to April 2008.

Job vacancies also slumped 33.1 per cent year-on-year to 27,440.

But overall unemployment improved slightly compared to March as it fell from 7.5 per cent in March to 7.1 per cent in April.

The province of Upper Austria was hit hardest as unemployment jumped 55.6 per cent compared to the same month of last year.

Part-time work contracts, which are regarded as an option to combat unemployment, are expected to become more popular. The AMS said recently it expected almost 59,000 people to be part-time work at the start of this month.

Austrian Times

Related articles: crisis

1. Austrians cutting back

   » Panorama 2010-02-09

   Austrians are cutting back as the economy continues to struggle out of recession, new research has shown.

2. GM Vienna jobs 'safe' as European cull announced

   » Business 2010-02-09

   Workers at car maker Opel’s plant in Vienna will not be affected by massive job cuts announced by General Motors’ (GM) today (Tues).

3. VIP ski resort gets social supermarket

   » Panorama 2010-02-09

   An 87-year-old has set up a social supermarket to help the poor in one of Europe’s most expensive towns.

4. Artec starts bankruptcy proceedings

   » Business 2010-02-09

   Machine builder Artec Maschinenbau GmbH entered bankruptcy proceedings today (Tues) in Upper Austria, according to the Credit Protection Agency of 1870 (KSV) and Creditreform.

5. Defence minister under fire over barracks

   » General News 2010-02-08

   Social Democratic (SPÖ) Defence Minister Norbert Darabos is under fire from the People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) over conditions at army barracks.

6. Minister says Germans more flexible in choice of work

   » Business 2010-02-05

   Austrian Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer said today (Fri) Germans were more flexible than Austrians in choosing work.

7. More AUA staff to go, report claims

   » Business 2010-02-04

   Austrian Airlines (AUA) is planning to dismiss more employees after sacking 470 staff last year, a report has claimed.

8. Students working more but feeling financial heat

   » Business 2010-02-04

   Austrian students at higher-educational institutions are working more but also coming under more financial pressure, according to the newspaper Die Presse.

9. Styria rejects funding AUA's Graz - Vienna service

   » Business 2010-02-04

   Styrian government leaders have said they are not considering subsidising struggling carrier Austrian Airlines (AUA) after the company warned its domestic flights service was at risk without public funding.

10. Petroleum tax revenues at €3.8bn in 2009

    » Business 2010-02-04

    The Finance Ministry received 3.8 billion Euros in revenue from the petroleum tax last year, according to car club Arbö.

Bulgarian cigarette smugglers arrested
Two Bulgarians have been arrested after trying to smuggle more than 35,000 cartons of cigarettes to the UK.

ChemFreight acquires Logwin's Krems facility
Goods transport firm ChemFreight Transport, Logistik & Waggonvermietung GmbH said today (Tues) it had bought freight firm Logwin’s facility in Krems, Lower Austria, after approval of the deal by the Austrian competition authority.

Crooks behind 47 Styrian robberies arrested
Crooks behind almost 50 burglaries in Styria have been arrested, police said today (Tues).

Beer quarrel ends in axe murder
A 20-year-old hacked his mum’s boyfriend to death with an axe in after accusing him of drinking his beer, police have said.

Artec starts bankruptcy proceedings
Machine builder Artec Maschinenbau GmbH entered bankruptcy proceedings today (Tues) in Upper Austria, according to the Credit Protection Agency of 1870 (KSV) and Creditreform.

Inner tube sledge girl seriously injured
A nine-year-old is in hospital with serious injuries after she crashed into a tree as she sledged on a tyre’s inner tube.

Post to pay employees huge bonus for police work
The Austrian postal service (Post) is to pay its employees a bonus of 10,000 Euros to transfer to police work, according to today’s (Tues) edition of the newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten.

Flight bookings up
Travel agencies have reported an increase in flight bookings, according to booking platform Amadeus Austria.

Churches make food and car Lent call
Church leaders have called on Austrians to cut back on food and car use during Lent.

Kitzbühel retains most expensive real estate title
The Tyrolean ski resort of Kitzbühel has the highest real estate prices in Austria, according to a new study.