A must for Austria’s labor market
Vienna (OTS) – As of June 2024, 264,000 people were unemployed in Austria, just over 82,000 of whom were long-term unemployed. The trend has recently been increasing again. Given the shortage of skilled workers and workers in many areas (care, tourism, gastronomy), it is urgently necessary to reduce these numbers and utilize the potential of these people.
The economy is calling for workers and politicians are required to find suitable solutions. At the same time, there are financial cuts in labor market policy of 1.3 billion euros, or 6.2%. Social enterprises see their structures at risk.
„The social enterprises from the arbeit plus network not only see themselves as part of the solution to long-term unemployment, but they are also a booster for the job market. By (re-)integrating long-term unemployed people, we not only create qualified employment, but also a lasting reduction in the burden on social systems and an increase in tax revenue. This now requires long-term, secured financing for our businesses.”
says Manuela Vollmann, CEO of arbeit plus – Social Enterprise Austria, and is addressing politicians.
„Those who cut the budgets of social enterprises exacerbate the problem of long-term unemployment, drive up social spending and promote social imbalance in society. We therefore demand long-term secured financing for all social enterprises – the labor market in Austria offers enough space for everyone, they just need to be supported with the right measures.”
, says Sabine Rehbichler, managing director of arbeit plus. „We therefore appeal to politicians to secure the budgets for social enterprises in the long term.
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arbeit plus – Social Enterprises Austria promotes the (re)integration of long-term unemployed people. The social enterprises in the network create employment and alleviate the acute labor shortage. They counteract long-term unemployment and relieve the burden on social systems. In doing so, they take up sustainable ideas, offer added value for society through their business model and are pioneers when it comes to ecologically sustainable business.
Visible successes of social enterprises
The social enterprises in the arbeit plus network can tell countless stories of people who impressively show what is possible: whether Agata D., who found her dream job through targeted retraining in the last third of her working life, Viktoria Z., who after… Escape from Ukraine, who managed a new start as a pharmaceutical assistant, or Gholamreza B., who managed to make the transition from unemployed taxi driver to logistician.(1) These people are now back in the middle of society and lead independent and self-financed lives. This would not have been possible without the support of the social enterprises that accompanied them on their journey.
Secured financing urgently required
Almost 40 years of experience make the social enterprises at arbeit plus experts who know exactly what it takes to (re-)integrate disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people. However, competence and commitment alone are not enough. Social enterprises need a stable financial basis in order to fulfill their mission.
We therefore demand that politicians provide long-term, secured financing for social enterprises. Anyone who invests in social enterprises invests in:
- a future-fit labor market in which everyone can make a contribution,
- Personal responsibility and social participation,
- a climate-friendly future.
In this way, we defuse the acute labor shortage and sustainably combat the shortage of skilled workers.
(1) The examples come from the publication “Mutmacher*innen #4”, by arbeit plus – umbrella organization for social enterprises in Vienna: www.arbeitplus-wien.at/publikationen/mutmacherinnen-4
Questions & Contact:
Mag.a Christine Newald, MA
public relation
Media and political work
arbeit plus – Social Enterprises Austria
Herklotzgasse 21/3
1150 Vienna, Austria
T + 43 677 61058302
M christine.newald@arbeitplus.at
W www.arbeitplus.at