WIFO contribution to the country profile "Decent Work Agenda Austria"

Following the initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Austria is one of five countries which are testing a new concept to systematically record progress made with respect to the "Decent Work Agenda". Austria's country profile shows improvements in several areas over the past ten years. Among these are an increase of labour force participation by women and older workers, a small increase in average real wages and a gradual reduction of people in the labour force at risk of poverty, improved social security for employees in flexible jobs as well as partially improved work-life balance. However, other areas show deficits and the need for further policy measures. For instance, the share of flexible jobs in the economy which sometimes do not provide living wages is on the rise. The share of male and particularly of female low wage earners has increased considerably. As regards stability and security of employment, the Austrian labour market is increasingly fragmented. The gender pay gap stagnates on a high level when compared to the European average while the low share of women in leading management positions has not changed. Furthermore, foreign-born women and men are still much less integrated into the Austrian labour market and less protected from unemployment and poverty than Austrian-born women and men.