Boom in the Health and Social Sector

The unemployment rate in the health and social sector was 3.7 percent in 2024, significantly below the overall economic average of 7.0 percent, and remained constant over the last ten years. According to AMS, the high share of total employment indicates that it is an important economic sector.

AMS Report: Employment Increase in the Health and Social Sector

8.1 percent of all employees were working in the health and social sector on average in 2024. This was a higher share than in construction (7.1 percent) or tourism (5.7 percent). Only the shares of employment in industry (16.1 percent), public administration (15.5 percent), and trade (14.3 percent) were higher. Over ten years, the labor force potential in the health and social sector increased by almost a third (+31.8 percent), with rising employment (+32.7 percent) and a simultaneous increase in unemployment (+5.7 percent). The overall economic development shows an increase in employment by 13.1 percent and a decrease in unemployment by 6.7 percent between 2014 and 2024 (the labor force supply increased by 11.4 percent).

Stable Unemployment Rate

In 2024, an average of 12,100 people in Austria who were previously employed in the health and social sector were registered as unemployed or in AMS training. The number increased by 8.6 percent compared to the previous year (total: +9.4 percent). The increase was particularly pronounced among women at 11.5 percent, which was above the overall economic average of 8.3 percent; among men, the number remained unchanged. The high proportion of women in employment was also reflected in unemployment: The share of women registered as unemployed or in AMS training in the health and social sector (excluding other social services) was 76 percent nationwide, above the average across all economic sectors (45 percent). Regionally, Carinthia (81 percent), Styria (81 percent), and Upper Austria (80 percent) stood out with particularly high proportions of women, while Vorarlberg and Vienna were below the national average.

High Proportion of Women in the Health and Social Sector

The sector had the highest proportion of women at 76 percent, significantly above the average (47 percent). Young men were disproportionately represented in the health and social sector (18 percent of all men employed in the sector were under 25 years old, while in the overall economy only 12 percent of men fell into this age group). Nearly half of all women and men in this economic sector worked in healthcare (48 percent and 47 percent, respectively), such as in hospitals, (specialist) medical practices, and other healthcare facilities.

20 percent of all employees had a nationality other than Austrian (20 percent among women, 18 percent among men) - a lower proportion compared to the overall economy. Among women with a different nationality, Germans (around 17 percent), Romanians, and Hungarians (each around 7 percent) were the most represented. Around 1,500 Syrians were employed in the health and social sector, with slightly more than half being women. The part-time employment rate for women at 61 percent was significantly above the average across all sectors (52 percent), but the part-time employment rate for men was also far above the average at 29 percent (13 percent).

AMS Head Kopf: Reforms Unavoidable

AMS head Johannes Kopf emphasized that the sector, like the entire labor market, faces massive challenges. Demographic changes, increasing life expectancy, and the acute shortage of skilled workers are putting the system under pressure. "Especially in system-relevant professions, it becomes clear how essential they are for the functioning of the country - not only in times of crisis but day by day. Reforms are therefore unavoidable," he said: "Low-threshold access and better working and training conditions are the key to attracting enough skilled workers for the future."

(APA/Red)

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