Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WORKING IN AUSTRIA

The ‘easiest’ entry jobs to get in Austria if you don’t speak German

In many cases, your stay in Austria is directly connected to having a job - if not for a residence permit, at least for paying bills. So, what are the "easiest" entry jobs to get if you live in Austria - even if you don't speak German?

Published: 17 April 2023 15:12 CEST
Updated: 21 March 2024 12:03 CET
Pictured are office workers.
Why movers to Switzerland always ask about wages. Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash)

Austria is a great country to live in, but many rights and benefits are directly connected to having a job. Being employed will give you a right to access public health care and will contribute to the years necessary for you to reap some social benefits, including unemployment, for example.

A job may also be required for some types of residence permits and, of course, are needed by most people to pay their bills at the end of the month. So, which types of jobs are “easiest” to get (not necessarily the easiest to actually do) when you first look for work, especially if you don’t speak German very well?

READ ALSO: How long do I have to work for in Austria to get unemployment benefits?

Services and catering

Austria is very much a services and tourism country, with plenty of jobs tied to those areas, particularly gastronomy. Recent data shows that there were almost 30,000 jobs in sales, transport and services sectors in March 2023 registered with the AMS, Austria’s public employment service.

However, not all jobs are immediately advertised with the AMS, so the number is expected to be much higher. 

Those looking for a job, particularly if they don’t speak German so well, might try delivery companies such as Lieferando or Foodora (previously known as Mjam). They offer different types of job contracts, pay a minimum per hour (plus you get your tips), and follow collective agreement regulations – meaning you get insurance. However, you do need a permit to work in Austria.

Similarly, jobs in bars and restaurants are a good starting option. It’s not uncommon to see places with job postings on doors and websites and on many occasions, they won’t require a high level of German. Fast-food chains such as McDonald’s are known for always having hundreds of job vacancies, and pubs often look for people with good English skills – no German necessary.

READ ALSO: What are the top jobs for international residents in Austria?

Other options include large stores and supermarkets, where crew is often needed, including for back-office positions requiring little to no German.

So, is it possible to work without speaking German?

This is a considerable debate among immigrants in Austria. The short answer is: yes, it is possible to find work even if you speak little to no German in Austria. You can even find higher-paying jobs in certain international companies, and the IT and startup sectors recruit continuously.

If you are a native (or equivalent) English speaker, there are jobs in bilingual or international schools, but you will often need other qualifications as well, such as an education degree. 

Photo by FRED DUFOUR / AFP

Still, knowing German, at least to a basic level, will obviously open more doors for you. For example, many people are surprised to learn that hotels won’t hire front-desk workers who don’t speak German. This is because a large number of tourists in Austria come from Germany, and front-office workers also need to deal with local suppliers, answer the phones and do other administrative tasks that will demand a knowledge of the language.

READ ALSO: Job vacancies in Austria reach record number as unemployment continues to fall

Some restaurants will also ask workers to know German if they are dealing directly with clients, same with stores. This means that people who can’t speak German will likely be sent to back-office work – which usually has lower salaries and little to no earnings from tips.

How can I increase my chances of getting a job?

Working culture can vary widely in different countries, so what may seem weird in one place might be expected in Austria. For example, in Austria, it is normal to send unsolicited applications to companies – even if no job openings are advertised. Of course, they might not reply to you, but some places will appreciate the initiative.

In the same way, going door-to-door and asking people for recommendations are common ways of getting jobs in Austria. Some positions are filled even before they are advertised because people recommend acquaintances or because someone showed up with their CV at the right time and made a good pitch for themselves.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about finding work in Austrian towns and villages

Looking for a job, especially an entry job when you really need one, can be highly frustrating. However, you will increase your chances if you take the time to work on your CV and your presentation (via email or in person), really personalising your message to the type of job you are applying for. 

Even if your primary experience is in another field, try to adapt your curriculum and your email (or phone call, or in-person interview) with accurate information about yourself that could be valuable for that particular job, whether that is an IT job, a waitressing position or a courier offer. 

READ ALSO: Six official websites to know if you’re planning to work in Austria

Websites such as LinkedIn, Xing, Karriere.at and AMS are also great ways to check for open positions in Austria. The daily newspapers, including Der Standard, also have a jobs section, and The Local Austria has a page with English-language jobs in the country.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

WORKING IN AUSTRIA

Why are people in Austria paying more taxes despite federal reforms?

Workers in Austria are still among those with the highest tax burdens in the world, with the taxes and contributions taking more than 40 percent of wages even as the country introduced sweeping tax reforms.

Published: 26 April 2024 12:21 CEST
Why are people in Austria paying more taxes despite federal reforms?

It’s often said that Austria is a country with high quality of living and high taxes, but a new OECD study shows just how high the tax burden is here compared to other OECD countries.

According to the report, Austria has the third-highest tax burden on workers and the so-called “tax wedge”, how much of a worker’s wage is taken by the government,  increased as well.

According to the OECD, in most countries, the increase in labour taxation was primarily driven by increases in personal income tax.

This is because nominal wages increased in 37 out of 38 OECD countries as inflation remained above historic levels. However, since most of these countries do not have automatic indexation of tax systems, high inflation tends to increase workers’ tax liabilities by pushing them into higher tax brackets. 

However, Austria’s federal tax reforms removed this in the country in 2023. This means that once inflation rises, the tax brackets that define how much taxes you will pay on your income will also rise – and they have risen in 2023 and in 2024 since the change. 

The measure was known as the “end of the cold progression” in Austria and should have protected workers’ incomes from inflation losses.

READ ALSO: The tax benefits that parents and families receive in Austria

What is the tax ‘wedge’?

The OECD defines a tax wedge as “income tax plus employee and employer social security contributions, minus cash benefits.” 

In other words, if an employer has a labour cost of €100, how much will they actually see in their pockets, and how much of this goes to the state? According to the organisation, the percentage is the tax wedge.

In Austria, €100 earned by a single employee without children was taxed at an average of €47.2 last year. The amount was only smaller than in Germany (47.9 percent) and Belgium (52.7 percent) and it rose compared to the previous year when it was still at 46.9 percent.

The average of the 38 OECD countries was 34.8 percent.

Married single-earner couples with two children also have high tax burdens, with a tax wedge of 32.8 percent (OECD average: 25.7 percent), which is the eleventh-highest tax and contribution burden within the OECD for this group (2022: 13th place). For married dual-earner couples, the wedge was 40.6 percent.

The tax wedge for individuals or households with children is generally lower than those without children, as many OECD countries grant households with children a tax advantage or cash benefits.

READ ALSO: Why it’s worth filling in your annual tax return in Austria

Why is Austria’s tax burden higher this year?

Despite the tax reform presented by the government, Austria’s tax wedge has increased compared to the year before. 

The reason is the relief granted in Austria in 2022 in the form of one-off state payments. With the rising cost of living, the federal government released several temporary measures to help people in the country cushion the effects, including the popular €500 Klimabonus payment every person who had been a resident of Austria for at least six months was entitled to. 

These payments and increases in family allowances reduced the tax burden in 2022 – but they no longer exist or were drastically cut in 2023. Because of that, the tax burden is rising again. 

“The abolition of cold progression and the other measures have merely prevented the tax burden from rising more sharply,” Wifo economist Margit Schratzenstaller told Der Standard.

The report said the increased tax issues show that there is still a need for action. Compared to other industrialised countries, Austria’s tax burden on work for a single person without children is ten percentage points higher. Of course, the expert noted, the fact that many industrialised countries have a different social system with fewer publicly funded benefits also plays a role here. However, labour is also expensive in Austria compared to the EU average.

READ ALSO: What foreign residents in Austria should know about taxes

“The fact that the tax burden on the middle classes has increased is due to the government’s failure. Instead of structural relief, there have been one-off payments that have evaporated,” said Lukas Sustala, head of Neos-Lab, the think tank of the liberal opposition party.

NEOS representatives have urgently called for a ‘comprehensive tax reform’ to alleviate the heavy labour burden, with a significant reduction in non-wage labour costs, according to an ORF report.

In addition, NEOS proposes the creation of ‘tax incentives for full-time work’ – including a full-time bonus and tax exemption for overtime pay. Simultaneously, NEOS aims to eliminate ‘part-time incentives of any kind’, offering a potential boost to the economy and workers’ incomes.

Economist Schratzenstaller also recommends action: She suggests reducing social insurance contributions, for example, for health insurance companies. However, it’s important to note that intervening in this area could affect the largely autonomous financing of Austria’s healthcare system, which is funded mainly through workers’ and companies’ payments via social insurance contributions. 

SHOW COMMENTS