Labour shortages in Austria, Italy and the European Union

Austria is facing a severe  labour shortage, threatening the country’s prosperity and international competitiveness. Therefore, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), the Austrian Business Agency and the Employment Agency (AMS) and the Ministry of Labour will jointly encourage older workers and women caring for children to return to the labour market and advertise the domestic labour market abroad. The reform of the so-called Red-White-Red Card, which entitles its holder to settle and work for a specific employer or be self-employed, has already begun. However, What is not known now is the number of labourers to be brought in from abroad and the timing of these initiatives.

The Italian government is proposing measures to increase the birth rate and bring more women into the labour market to reduce the current labour shortage of around one million job positions. There is a shortage in the labour market of around 20% of university graduates, especially pharmacists, biologists, life science specialists and doctors, and around 40% of secondary school graduates.

According to European Parliament representatives,   there will be a shortage of 500 million cyber security experts in the European Union in the coming years. The just-established Cyber Security Skills Academy, one of the European Year of Skills 2023 initiatives, is intended to respond to these needs, promoting the upskilling and retraining of the workforce to help employees and companies keep up with the green and digital transformation.