Handel does not see itself as a price driver

"Anyone who claims that the trade sector has made a profit during the inflation crisis is communicating without facts," said Rainer Will, head of the trade association, at the presentation of the "Yearbook Trade." However, Will sees politics on his side. "The wind has changed here." "The new style of the federal government also includes more consideration for trade and a stronger involvement of independent associations like the trade association," said Will in a statement.

Trade Paints a Grim Picture of Economic Situation

Many labor market-related topics were discussed this year at a roundtable with Labor Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) and representatives from retail and wholesale, according to the trade association's statement. In the "Yearbook Trade" written by KMU Forschung Austria, a grim picture of the economic situation is painted: According to it, an average of four bankruptcies per working day were recorded last year. The closure rate was 6.5 percent, higher than the new establishment rate of 6 percent. Profitability has reduced to 5.2 percent. The trade sector is the second most important employer in Austria. At the beginning of 2024, more than 92,000 companies with 615,000 employees were active in retail, wholesale, and car trade. They generated 303 billion euros in sales and a gross value added of nearly 49 billion euros last year, according to the trade association. The retail sector consists of 52,500 companies with 345,000 employees and a net turnover of 93.3 billion euros.

Every Third Employee in Trade Has a Migration Background

The proportion of women in trade is 54 percent, and in retail, it is even 71 percent. Part-time work is booming, with a part-time rate of 36 percent, and in retail, it is 48 percent. 13,800 apprentices are being trained, making the sector the third-largest trainer of apprentices in the country, according to the private interest group trade association. The trade sector is also an important employer for migrants. Almost a third of the employees have a migration background, according to study author Wolfgang Ziniel. Nearly one in three employees has been working in trade for more than ten years.

The trade sector is not participating in the upcoming autumn wage round this year. This is because a two-year agreement was reached last year. In 2025, there will be a 3.3 percent salary increase compared to the previous year, and in 2026, it will be 0.5 percent above the annual inflation rate. The apprentice salary in the first year of apprenticeship increased from 880 to 1,000 euros. The 0.5 percent salary increase for 2026 only applies if the rolling inflation in 2025 is up to 2.3 percent. With an inflation rate of 2.4 to 2.5 percent, the increase is 0.4 percent. With an annual inflation rate of 2.9 percent, only the inflation rate is compensated. If the rolling inflation in 2025 is three percent or higher, negotiations will take place again this year. For the upcoming collective bargaining round with the metalworkers, an annual inflation rate of 2.8 percent applies, and for pensioners, the negotiation basis is 2.7 percent.

(APA/Red)

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