202,300 jobs were registered as unfilled in Austrian enterprises during the third quarter of 2023, according to Statistics Austria, the country’s official statistics agency.

Meanwhile, in the previous quarter, the number of job vacancies was 214,000, SchengenVisaInfo reports.

In spite of the 5.5 per cent drop compared to the previous quarter, the number of job vacancies still remains at a high level, according to Tobias Thomas, general director of Statistics Austria.

Out of the overall 202,300 job vacancies, 120,100 were in the service sector, 46,200 in manufacturing, and 36,000 in the public sector. Concurrently, the Public Employment Service (AMS) received reports of 120,500 vacancies during the same period. These job listings are reported to the AMS with the intent of facilitating personnel recruitment.

The population in Austria, registered in June 2023, is estimated at about 9.1 million. Of those, only around six million are of working age.

The average population age in Austria is 43.2 years, while last year, the total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.41. Moreover, in 2022, Austria registered a decrease in births and an increase in deaths compared to the previous year, resulting in a negative balance of births and deaths amounting to 9,909. According to Thomas, Austria has been facing a birth deficit for the third year in a row.

For those reasons, Austria heavily relies on foreign workforce to support its economy. Foreigners who aim to live and work in Austria can benefit from this labour shortage and start the procedures of getting a work visa for Austria. The fields that need the most skilled workers, according to EURES, are as follows:

1. Unskilled construction workers, bricklayers
2. Operators of goods handling equipment (with a compulsory schooling qualification)
3. Electrical fitters and electricians (with a higher level of education)
4. Fitters, metal and construction fitters, pipe fitters, machine fitters
5. Lathe operators
6. Carpenters
7. Painters and decorators
8. Joiners and cabinet makers
9. Motor vehicle technicians and mechanics
10. Industrial mechanics and welders (unskilled workers but chiefly skilled workers with professional experience)
11. Restaurant chefs, waiters, managers (with a vocational qualification)
12. Kitchen assistants, waiters, housekeepers, buffet and bar staff, restaurant chefs, pot washers (unskilled workers)
13. Sales staff in the food sector, cashiers, sales representatives, advertising specialists
14. Goods sorters and packers, depot and warehouse workers and packers, haulage contractors and drivers, and labourers (mainly unskilled staff, but also those with vocational qualifications)

Recently, Austria has been facing a shortage of hairdressing positions as well. As authorities have revealed, hairdressers are highly needed in Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg