No statutory minimum wage, but collective agreements that set minimum pay for almost every job – usually paid 14 times a year. Austria has 64 nationwide shortage occupations, from nurses and doctors to engineers, IT specialists, electricians and cooks. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in German and what to do in your first weeks.
The clearest official signal of where employers are short of staff is the shortage occupation list. For 2026 the government lists 64 nationwide shortage occupations (Skilled Workers Regulation 2026, BGBl. II No. 316/2025) – jobs for which there are fewer than 1.5 jobseekers per vacancy registered with the AMS. They include:
On top of that, each province (except Vienna) has its own regional list. Tourism also hires many seasonal workers for the winter and summer seasons – in hotels, restaurants and ski resorts.
For graduates, the best chances are in technical fields, IT and healthcare. Some employers advertise in English and accept applications in English – but for most jobs, and for daily life, German makes a big difference.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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