Resources for employers in Austria
Resources for employers in Austria
We use “refugees” as a term encompassing forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, such as refugees, subsidiary protection holders, temporary protection holders, asylum seekers and other persons in need of international protection.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is clearly indicated.
Why hire refugees and stateless people in Austria?
Austria is home to a diverse community of refugees, many of whom are eager to secure employment in the country and achieve financial self-sufficiency, professional realization, and integration into the local society. Recognized refugees and subsidiary protection holders have full access to the Austrian labor market, and thanks to advocacy efforts by i.a. UNHCR, the barriers to employment for temporary protection holders from Ukraine have been lifted in April 2023. This makes the policy and legal framework in Austria even more favorable towards the employment of refugees. Stateless people who have been granted a residence permit, through asylum or other procedures, have the right to work in Austria.
Austrian companies play an important role in opening their doors to refugee talent and facilitating the recruitment and onboarding of forcibly displaced people. This can bring many benefits not only to the employees but also to their employers: from improved retention and recruitment pipelines, to filling labor shortages and skills gaps, as well as contributing to the diversity and multiculturalism within Austrian companies and helping businesses build more socially responsible and appealing brands.
The Austrian Federal Railways, commonly known as ÖBB, is the national railway company of Austria, which employs more than 40,000 people. The company has multiple awards for diversity hiring and has made a special commitment to employing forcibly displaced persons. For example, ÖBB has partnered with the Austrian Public Employment Service to organize information events for refugees; with the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) to recruit refugee and migrant women; as well as with the NGO Lobby.16 to offer apprenticeships to young refugees. Finally, the company has been one of the first ones to actively advertise open positions for Ukrainian refugees, in addition to its commitment to supporting forcibly displaced persons from Ukraine through its train services and welcome lounges.
How many refugees and stateless people are there in Austria?
As of mid-2024, there are 266,218 refugees in Austria, coming primarily from Syria (97,939), Ukraine (77,150), and Afghanistan (42,875). In addition to this, there are 32,286 asylum-seekers in the country, primarily from Syria, Afghanistan, and Türkiye.Austria is home to approximately 4,100 stateless people and people of undetermined nationality.
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
How many of them are working?
In 2023, 3,240 work permits were issued to asylum-seekers, and as of December 2023 1,642 asylum seekers had a valid working permit.
With regards to beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine, as of October 2024, there were 24,195 Ukrainians in some form of employment in Austria (the data however includes Ukrainians who were already in Austria before the war in addition to the beneficiaries of temporary protection). In October 2024, there were 4,308 beneficiaries of temporary protection registered as unemployed, of whom 2,725 beneficiaries were in training.
As of October 2024, 45,347 beneficiaries of international protection were registered as unemployed, of which 14,394 recognized refugees and 5,520 subsidiary protection holders were in training.
Read more on the Austria country page on the Asylum Information Database with regards to labor market inclusion of asylum seekers, refugees, and temporary protection holders
What are the main challenges?
Common challenges that refugees and stateless people in Austria face include: limited professional networks and knowledge about the job market, lack of professional skills and/or lack of documentation of skills and experience, lenghty and costly procedures for recognition of qualifications, insufficient language proficiency, discrimination, and mental health issues or trauma. In addition, refugees in Austria take considerably longer than other migrants to find employment, due to the heavy restrictions placed on access to the job market and language courses during the asylum application procedure. Asylum seekers have extremely limited access to the labor market, they are not eligible to register with the AMS and they do not have access to vocational training by the Public Employment Service. They only have access to vocational training and apprenticeships (Lehre) in companies. Stateless people without legal recognition or status are not entitled to work legally and may face significant barriers in finding employment.
See the research project “How successful is the labour-market integration of refugees in Austria?” by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Refugees who possess qualifications issued outside of Austria or the European Union will likely require to validate them in order to access regulated sectors. The Act on Recognition and Evaluation from 2016 accelerates the procedure for the recognition of education and professional qualifications obtained outside Austria. Refugees or asylum seekers could also apply for recognition of their academic and professional qualifications, even if they cannot provide the documents as proof. Austria has set up a number of counselling and contact points, as well as an information portal (AST). The Federal Chamber of Labor also offers contact points throughout the country. Additionally, since 2023 the ÖIF Integration Service for Skilled Workers offers funding for the recognition of foreign qualifications, including in the health and care sector. Nonetheless, despite these improvements, the recognition process in Austria remains lengthy and costly overall, as has been shown with the arrival of highly qualified refugees from Ukraine.
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? | Process |
|
Asylum seeker |
Individuals who have applied for international protection but still have not received a decision on their application. | Asylum seekers are not allowed to work during the first three months of the asylum procedure. Three months after the asylum application is admitted to the regular procedure, an employer can apply for a work permit for them. Asylum seekers admitted to the regular procedure for 3 months or more can also be employed through service vouchers in private households (e.g. for gardening, cleaning or child care etc.). | When an employer applies for a work permit for an asylum-seeker, a labor market test is carried out to determine whether there is no Austrian, EU citizen or legally residing third-country national with access to the labour market available for the corresponding job. |
| Refugee status | Individuals who have a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. | Refugees have the right to work in Austria. | The process is the same as Austrian residents. |
| Subsidiary protection | Individuals who do not qualify for a refugee status but who are unable to return to their home country because it would mean they face capital punishment, torture or inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. | Subsidiary protection holders have the right to work in Austria. | The process is the same as Austrian residents. |
| Temporary protection | Residents of Ukraine and their family members who were forced to leave their country due to the current war. | Temporary protection holders have the right to work in Austria. | The process is the same as Austrian residents. |
| Stateless person | A stateless person is someone who is not considered as a citizen by any country (whether recognized as such or not) | Due to lack of a specific statelessness status and the possibility to grant a residence permit based on the individual’s statelessness, individuals have the right to work (or not) depending on residency titles they acquired due to other reasons (e.g. family status, length of stay in Austria, protection needs as a refugee or subsidiary protection holder, or their special professional qualifications) or if they only have so-called “tolerated stay”. | The process depends on the respective residence title. |
Bear in mind:
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Asylum seekers may undertake auxiliary work that is directly related to their supervised accommodation (e.g. cleaning, kitchen operations, maintenance) and no work permit is required for this. Likewise, it is possible for asylum seekers to undertake non-profit auxiliary work in local authorities (federal, state or municipal) or in non-profit organizations.
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One of the main problems for asylum seekers in accessing employment is that their remuneration may not exceed 110 EUR + 80 EUR per dependent per month (with the exception of Tyrol where it is 240 EUR). Any amount earned on top of this contributes to the cost of reception, as per the Basic Care Acts. Moreover, if the individual receives an income, they may loose access to Basic Care and organized accommodation.
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The maximum remuneration mentioned above is also an issue for Subsidiary protection holders if they are in Basic Care, as well as for Temporary protection holders as many of them are in Basic Care (even though their income threshold is slightly higher but complex to calculate, which also hampers taking up employment).
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Previously, an employment permit from the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) was required for temporary protection holders but as of April 2023 this is no longer a requirement.
How do I connect with refugee talent?
Employers interested in recruiting refugees can get in touch with the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) which collects refugees’ relevant data such as education, professional experience and competences, and provides support in matching candidates with suitable employment opportunities. The AMS also organizes special job fairs for refugees, as well as information visits to businesses who are interested in hiring refugee talent. Similarly, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) organizes a number of programs which facilitate the labor market inclusion of refugees, such as career fairs, counselling, referrals, and more. The ÖIF partners with employers to organize “career platforms” which focus on specific industries and so far over 100 career platforms have been held in cooperation with companies such as ÖBB, Lidl, REWE, IKEA, Mariott Hotels and POST AG.
In addition, businesses can get in touch with several NGOs which work with refugees and which can make referrals to suitable candidates. These include Caritas, the Austrian Red Cross, Volkshilfe, the Integrationshaus reception and integration center, or the ZEBRA organization in Graz. A full list of organizations providing services to refugees can be found on this website. Finally, employers can post vacancies on the Austrian Jobs for Ukraine website which targets primarily beneficiaries of temporary protection but UNHCR has been advocating for the inclusion of all protection holders in this platform.
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
Businesses are encouraged to take several steps in order to create more refugee and stateless-friendly recruitment and onboarding processes. For example, HR departments can review the language requirements for job vacancies to allow candidates with a limited knowledge of German to apply. In addition, companies can partner with governmental institutions and NGOs to refer employees to language classes where necessary. For individuals who may lack professional skills or proof of previous qualifications, offering internships and on-the-job training can provide an opportunity for them to demonstrate their skills and ability to learn. Finally, further steps can be taken to support new hires in their successful integration in the workplace, including setting up internal mentorship or buddy programs, or organizing diversity and inclusion trainings for the company team members.
View other recommendations in the Inclusive Recruitment Checklist
Recruitment support
More Than One Perspective (MTOP) is a social business that connects refugees with suitable companies in Austria. The organization assists companies by designing training and staff development programs with a focus on diversity and inclusion. The organization recently won the Intercultural Achievement Award in 2024.
On-the-job trainings
Employers can offer employment to graduates from the various skills training courses supported by UNHCR which The Aufleb Foundation offers employers the possibility to hire candidates for on-the-job trainings and apprenticeships for skilled worker positions. The foundation designs a training plan and cooperates with the Public Employment Service (AMS) to cover part of the remuneration for the trainees.
Apprenticeships for young people
The lobby.16 organization provides approximately 40 apprenticeship opportunities each year, specifically focusing on young refugees under 25. Lobby.16 also provides career counselling for individuals up to 30 years old and career orientation workshops and builds long-term partnerships with corporate partners.
Report “Corporate Responsibility in the Integration of Refugees in the Austrian Labor Market” (in German)
A list of videos with the stories of young refugees who have been placed in apprenticeship programs with companies through Lobby.
A series of stories by refugee jobseekers in Austria assisted by More Than One Perspective as part of the series #MTOP Storytelling