WKÖ President Mahrer Raises Alarm Over Austria's Economy
"The Austrian economy is under enormous pressure. Hardly a day goes by without alarming news," said WKÖ President Harald Mahrer on Thursday before the Economic Parliament.
WKÖ President Mahrer Sees a Pan-European Problem
Mahrer once again identifies an increase in bureaucratic hurdles and sees the availability of workers, high unit labour costs and affordable energy as further "location policy survival issues that we must now tackle immediately". The WKÖ President, who is also a member of the ÖVP team in the ongoing government negotiations, stressed: "We are currently pricing ourselves out of the market. This has now become a pan-European problem, as a look at the USA shows."
He pointed out that in the United States, the focus of every government is the functioning of the economy. "No matter who is in the White House, whether Democrat or Republican, the focus is always on the economy. The Inflation Reduction Act, which has led to massive investments in the USA - and unfortunately to emigration from Europe - is the latest example of this. The conditions are simply more attractive than at the European economic location," explained Mahrer.
Better Conditions for Austria's Economy Demanded
This development must be a "dramatic wake-up call" in the EU. So far, however, this has not happened. "Let's keep in mind: It's the export on which a lot depends. The export engine is our lifeline," said the WKÖ President. Suitable conditions are needed in Austria - "and different ones than now," he said. This needs to be pointed out especially now, during the ongoing coalition negotiations.
Mahrer also addressed what he believes to be a very high number of open positions. The labour gap will not be filled with more part-time work or less work. "This is the central question of justice and destiny of our time: How do we manage to make a clear difference between those who can work, want to and do - and those who could, but don't want to, even though they have no childcare or care obligations?" said Mahrer.
In conclusion, Mahrer appealed to all parliamentary groups to jointly use all possibilities to make it clear that change is needed now. Otherwise, in five years' time, it might not be "business location Austria" anymore, but "business was there in Austria", the WKÖ President stated.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.