Research Location Vienna: The Role of Human Resources

The study is WIFO's contribution to a concept developed by the City of Vienna which aims to position Vienna as a nodal point for research, technology and innovation in Central Europe. A detailed strategy formed by the City of Vienna from this concept will include all the key players and decision-makers in economics, politics, society and science in this process. The study is designed as an input for four working groups on the range of activities by the City of Vienna and on the breadth of the strategic development. WIFO furnishes an overview of the structure of human resources in Vienna: population and education structure, the role of the educational system, especially university research and ongoing further education to secure a sufficient supply of skilled workers, migrations (inflow of labour but also outflow of typically highly qualified young workers). This overview is bolstered by a discussion of the root causes of the – partly – unfavourable dynamics of education and qualification in Vienna. The proposed mix of measures necessary to maintain and improve the skills spectrum may help to get skilled labour from Austria and abroad to realise their potential in Vienna and consider cross-border migration (returning to Vienna and/or circular migration).