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WORKING IN AUSTRIA

How Austria wants to attract more police officers

Austria's staff shortage crisis also affects the police sector, and authorities throughout the country are urgently looking for recruits. Now, they are offering certain perks, but they won't change a crucial basic requirement.

Published: 12 May 2023 17:04 CEST
How Austria wants to attract more police officers
Pictured are two police officers. (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

Austria’s staff shortage is mainly caused by generational issues – as the baby boomer generation retires – and fewer people are joining the work market. The situation is more pronounced in certain professions, which are particularly demanding (or have been more demanding in recent years), such as healthcare and education.

The police are also urgently looking for new recruits throughout Austria. It is reducing admission criteria and going even further by announcing recruitment bonuses for police officers who recruit new workers. 

The Ministry of Interior is considering offering bonuses of between €500 to €1,000 in the “referral” program.

READ ALSO: Do foreigners in Austria have to carry ID?

There are also changes in the admission procedure itself. Those who fail once can reapply more quickly than before (currently, they need to wait one year). Further details are to be announced in the coming weeks.

According to Austrian media, there was talk that the sports test, which has a 26 percent failure rate, could be cancelled. An indication in this direction is that the Ministry of the Interior has already announced that other qualities will count in the future selection process. For example, the Ministry is increasingly seeking “competencies in the area of communication and conflict resolution.”

Additionally, newcomers will have fewer hurdles. They’ll no longer have to have a driver’s licence already – and will even be reimbursed up to €1,400 for successfully getting a driver’s licence if they also complete their basic police training.

READ ALSO: How critical is the situation in Austrian hospitals?

Another perk is intended to make the police service more attractive to recruits. 

The Ministry of the Interior plans to introduce a measure to reimburse police students for the cost of a Klimaticket (Austria’s federal transport ticket) as part of an effort to enhance recruitment, according to a statement to APA. 

However, the move has faced criticism from the FSG trade union. Hermann Greylinger, head of FSG, acknowledged that their request had been partially granted but emphasised that extending the benefit to all police officers would have been “more favourable”, as expressed by the union representatives.

READ ALSO: ‘I won’t give up my nationality’: Why foreigners choose not to become Austrian

Under the new arrangement, all police students in Austria, including administrative trainees and apprentices, will have their Klimaticket expenses covered by the ministry during their two-year basic training. The implementation of this regulation is expected in the summer of 2023, confirmed spokesperson Markus Haindl.

What won’t change?

There is one requirement to being a police officer in Austria that the government has no intention of changing: the citizenship requirement.

Currently, police recruits need to hold Austrian citizenship and foreigners, even those born and raised in Austria, are not allowed to apply for a position within the police force. 

According to Statistik Austria, Austria has more than 1.6 million (data from mid-2022) foreign citizens living in the country. 

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WORKING IN AUSTRIA

Is Austria planning to adopt a longer work week of 41 hours?

Industry experts propose increasing the working hours in Austria and now the chancellor has added his opinion - here's the latest on the possible expansion of the working week.

Published: 24 April 2024 16:40 CEST
Is Austria planning to adopt a longer work week of 41 hours?

A new debate has been taking place in Austria as the Association of Austrian Industries (IV) has called for a 41-hour work week, forcing politicians to take a stance on the issue. 

Last week, the heads of the association said that Austria could only continue to be competitive internationally if the regular working hours for everyone were extended – reaching a 41-hour work week. They argue that this is necessary to increase productivity and maintain the country’s economic competitiveness.

Currently, working hours cannot exceed a 40-hour limit in the week for most employees, and most industries have collective agreements providing for a 38.5-hour week. 

“In order to increase the overall volume of labour, we must therefore put an increase in working hours – by half an hour a day, for example, ie 41 hours a week – on the agenda. Otherwise, we will not be able to maintain our welfare state,” Christoph Neumayer, General Secretary of the IV, is quoted as saying.

The statements prompted a debate in Austria, and when Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), a government member, said she was in favour of ‘working more’, things got even more heated. 

READ ALSO: Will a 4-day week and free German lessons help Vienna’s transport network find staff?

“If we want to maintain our prosperity, we have to work more instead of less,” said the politician at an event in the House of Industry on Tuesday. At the same time, she reckoned with “left-wing dreams” of reducing working hours, which “will not work out,” said Edtstadler.

The Social Party SPÖ and trade unions strongly criticised the plans of the IV and ÖVP. Extension of working hours is an “affront to the employees who have made our country one of the richest in Europe through their commitment”, said union leader Barbara Treiber.

Instead, they propose a reduction in working hours to improve work-life balance and protect workers’ rights.

Edtstadler later had to clarify that her statements were “not an endorsement of a 41-hour working week”. Instead, she was concerned with “getting more people into full-time employment and employment in general”, she said.

‘Certainly not coming’

With the debate still ongoing, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) came out to clarify the situation, Austrian media has reported. 

“An extension of the statutory standard working week is out of the question for me,” he explained in a statement. “I also think a 32-hour week is completely the wrong way to go.” 

He further elaborated on his view, stating that he believes in finding a balance between productivity and workers’ well-being and that any changes to the work week should be carefully considered and based on thorough research.

READ ALSO: Could a 4-day week with full salary become a reality in Austria?

ÖVP’s Karlheinz Kopf, a member of the Austrian parliament, was also asked about the Austrian Industries’ demand for a longer work week. He said it would be unrealistic to extend working hours politically but that “the industry’s cry for help” must be taken seriously as labour is becoming more expensive and the country’s competitiveness is “constantly deteriorating as a result.”

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