Austria’s economic pressures and a shortage of skilled workers have prompted business leaders and conservatives to urge people to put in longer hours. Yet nearly a third of the workforce is now part-time, and the average working week is expected to shrink to just 28.5 hours by 2024. Moralising about a so-called "part-time lifestyle" – even as many firms benefit from it – is proving far from popular, however.
Is the rate of part-time work too high in Austria? Does it pose a threat to the welfare state and the country’s prosperity? At the beginning of August, Conservative economy minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, of the Austrian People’s Party, opened a long-running debate with these words.
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Article authors
Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in Germany
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.