Relief in the labor market comes with opening steps for the gastronomy and tourism industries. Labor Minister Martin Kocher expects a maximum of 350,000 unemployed in the summer, which would be a noticeable relief from the current situation.
“We hope that in the course of the summer we can get to a level of unemployment of 330,000 to 350,000 people. That would still be higher than in 2019, but a noticeable relief compared to now,” he said in an interview with the “Wiener Zeitung”.
Reduced working hours: “Phase 5” in May
The next opening steps in the catering and tourism sectors, “which will hopefully be possible soon,” should bring relief. In May, there should also be a model for “Phase 5”, i.e. the extension of the “Kurzarbeit” (reduced working hours). Talks are underway with the social partners on this. “The aim is to continue short-time work, to adjust it in line with the economic situation and to target it precisely. In order to help precisely those industries that are then still restricted, i.e. the aforementioned: Event industry, city hotel industry, airline industry,” said Kocher in the “Wiener Zeitung”.
Kocher rejects calls for an unconditional basic income or a machine tax. That would not help with the structural problems in the labor market. “What will help us is that education, further training and qualification are used by everyone and offered on a broad basis.”
— sources: vienna.at/APA/picture: pixabay.com
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