Unemployment in Graz explodes: Women particularly affected!

Unemployment in Graz explodes: Women particularly affected!

Graz, Österreich - Unemployment in Austria is rising rapidly! In February 2025, almost 430,000 people were without a job or training, a dramatic increase of around 27,600 people compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Labor. The federal states of Styria and Salzburg are particularly affected, where the unemployment number has increased steadily in recent months. According to current numbers, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, and the trend shows no signs of improvement. At the end of February, 429,940 people were recorded at the labor market service (AMS), including 347,424 unemployed and 82,516 in training measures, such as Salzburg24 reported .

In Styria, the increase was particularly noticeable in women, where unemployment increased by 11.8 percent in February, while the increase in men was 9.6 percent. The production industry, which recorded an increase of 18 percent in February, is most affected. In the area of transport and storage, the number of unemployed rose by almost 17 percent. In Graz, the increase was the highest with 14.7 percent, followed by Leibnitz and Liezen, while the Murau district had the slightest increase of 3.1 percent. This emerges from the data of the AMS Styria, as it orf Styria reported .

economic challenges for apprentices

The situation on the apprenticeship market is particularly alarming: in Austria there are currently more people seeking apprenticeships than open places. While 7,891 young people are waiting for an apprenticeship at the AMS, only 7,616 apprenticeships are available. The training quota in the company is currently 97,424 apprentices, of which 28,796 are in the first year of apprenticeship. These figures illustrate the difficulties with which many young adults are faced with the growing unemployment. The signal effect of these developments suggests an increasing economic imbalance that could endanger future stability on the labor market.