Government Retreat Reaches Agreement on Unemployment Benefits: This Will Change

Older workers still have the opportunity to earn additional income alongside unemployment benefits for six months. Long-term unemployed individuals are also exempt from this regulation. Meanwhile, Minister of Social Affairs Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) advocated for qualification measures, particularly in the care sector.

Government Retreat: More Workers Needed in the Care Sector

The demographic development will certainly necessitate more workers in the care sector. To meet the demand, the care scholarship is to be continued. 12,000 were awarded last year. Schumann aims to achieve approximately this number again this year despite a challenging budgetary situation. Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) also pointed out the need for qualified immigration. There is a need to improve and expedite the recognition of foreign qualifications. For a care worker coming from Manila, it does not matter whether they disembark in Vienna or Munich - and if their qualification is better recognized in Germany than in Austria, allowing them to earn more there, it is a disadvantage for Austria. According to Schumann, the environmental foundation, which focuses on training for jobs in this area, will also be continued (from 2026). Additionally, support for women in technology and crafts is to be continued.

Hattmannsdorfer: Additional Income with Unemployment Benefits "Counterproductive"

Additionally, more incentives are needed in the social system to enable the acceptance of a full-time position as much as possible. Hattmannsdorfer addressed the already fixed innovation in the government program, according to which the possibility of earning a minor additional income alongside unemployment benefits will largely be abolished - "because it is counterproductive," as the Minister of Economic Affairs emphasized. Currently, one can earn 1,800 euros net per month this way. This is an obstacle to re-entering the labor market as quickly as possible. Long-term unemployed individuals will be given the opportunity to earn additional income for a limited period of six months. Furthermore, an existing minor employment can be continued. However, the threshold for minor employment will be frozen at the 2025 level (551 euros) starting in 2026. Minister of Education Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) expressed a commitment to higher qualification. Among individuals with a compulsory school diploma, the unemployment rate is significantly above average at 21 percent.

(APA/Red)

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