“Population forecast clearly shows that we need incentives for extra work”

“The current population forecast from Statistics Austria shows two things very clearly: The Austrian population is growing, but the number of employed people is not keeping pace, but is stagnating or even falling slightly. This means that even if unemployment is currently increasing due to the economic situation, the shortage of work and skilled workers will soon catch up with us again with full force,” says WKÖ General Secretary Karlheinz Kopf. For him it is therefore obvious “that in the future we will not have to work less, but more. Otherwise we will not be able to maintain our prosperity.”

Above all, there needs to be incentives for people to work longer in old age. As the population forecast makes clear, the proportion of the population group 65+ is increasing. Specifically, it will increase from the current 19.7% to 26.7% by 2040 and then there will only be two people of working age for every person of retirement age; today there are still three people. “We know that many people still want to work in retirement, but at the moment the additional income is hardly worth it. Here we have to ensure that working in retirement pays off more,” says Kopf. In addition, the actual retirement age should be brought closer to the legal age – for example through increased prevention and measures that, for example, support people returning to work after a long period of illness.

The WKÖ General Secretary sees another population group that needs to be motivated to work overtime in those who work part-time. Here, too, a few screws need to be turned so that full-time work or at least increasing the number of hours becomes more worthwhile and childcare is available that makes full-time work possible.

“But the population forecast also shows that ultimately we will only grow through immigration. The aim must therefore be that those people come to us who can be easily integrated into the labor market and who we as a society need in order to maintain our economic strength and the usual standards in the health and social system,” concludes Kopf. (PWK431/DFS)