Unemployment in Graz is exploding: women are particularly affected!

Unemployment in Graz is exploding: women are particularly affected!

Unemployment in Austria is rising rapidly! In February 2025, nearly 430,000 people were unemployed or in training, a dramatic increase of around 27,600 people compared to the previous year, according to the Labor Department. The federal states of Styria and Salzburg are particularly affected, where the number of unemployed has increased steadily in recent months. According to current figures, the unemployment rate is at an alarming 8.1 percent and the trend shows no signs of improving. At the end of February, 429,940 people were registered with the employment service (AMS), of which 347,424 were unemployed and 82,516 were in training measures SALZBURG24 reported.

In Styria, the increase was particularly noticeable among women, where unemployment rose by 11.8 percent in February, while the increase for men was 9.6 percent. The worst-hit sector is the goods manufacturing sector, which recorded an 18 percent increase in February. The number of unemployed also rose by almost 17 percent in the transport and warehousing sectors. The increase was highest in Graz at 14.7 percent, followed by Leibnitz and Liezen, while the Murau district had the lowest increase of 3.1 percent. This emerges from the data from the AMS Styria, like them ORF Steiermark reported.

Economic challenges for apprentices

The situation on the apprenticeship market is particularly alarming: in Austria there are currently more people looking for apprenticeships than there are 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 companies is currently 97,424 apprentices, of which 28,796 are in their first year of training. These figures highlight the difficulties many young adults face in the face of growing unemployment. The signal effect of these developments suggests a growing economic imbalance that could endanger future stability in the labor market.