The second approach is the prevailing retirement age in Austria: “In Austria, we retire two to three years earlier than in Germany. This will change from 2024: then the retirement age for women will increase by half a year each and that will keep 20,000 more women in the workforce every year.”
Free access to the labor market for Ukrainians
In view of the large number of refugees from Ukraine who have not yet registered with the AMS, Kopf is concerned: “There are currently around 40,000 to 45,000 employable Ukrainians living in Austria. Only 7,000 of them are employed, 8,000 are registered with the AMS. AMS “In the beginning everything was fine, you didn’t know how long these people would stay. But when Kyiv is now asking people to stay abroad for the winter, I beg you: come to AMS. Plan a future here. Learn German. Try to find a job.”
Kopf sees the increase in the threshold for additional earnings beyond the basic benefit to 400 euros as positive, but stresses that these people have to be brought together at the same time as the AMS – and easier access to the labor market is needed: “Cooperation and participation in the labor market” are important for successful integration.