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Pay and working conditions in European countries

Austria

Country: Austria

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.

No statutory minimum wage. Minimum pay is set in collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) for each sector, negotiated by trade unions and employers. Check the agreement for your job before you sign – the Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) explains how and has a gross-net calculator.
14 salaries a year. If your job is covered by a collective agreement, you usually get 12 monthly salaries plus a holiday bonus and a Christmas bonus. So when you compare a yearly offer, divide by 14, not 12.
Working time: normally 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week; many collective agreements set less, e.g. 38 hours. Maximum: 12 hours a day and 60 hours a week, on average 48 over 17 weeks. After 6 hours you get at least a 30-minute break, and at least 11 hours of rest between working days.
Overtime is paid with a 50% bonus (or 1.5 hours off per hour worked). Part-timers get a 25% bonus for extra hours.
Holidays: at least 5 weeks (25 working days) of paid leave a year – also for part-time and marginal jobs.
Contract: a contract can be oral, but if you do not get a written one, the employer must give you a written statement of the main terms (Dienstzettel) when you start.

published: 2014-09-03
last modification: 2026-10-03

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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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