Unions demand stop from nearshoring: Austria's jobs in danger!

Unions demand stop from nearshoring: Austria's jobs in danger!

In the context of the current challenges of the Austria business location, party -free trade unionists demand: Inside a drastic course correction in the participation strategy of Österreichische Beteiligungs AG (ÖBAG). According to a report by OTS have state-based companies such as OMV, A1 Telekom Austria, the post and composite High record profits achieved. But at the same time, Austria is faced with a worrying breakdown of jobs, especially because of the practices of off- and nearshoring.

In an open letter to Economics Minister Dr. Hattmannsdorfer, dated May 13, 2025, are criticized by the serious negative effects of nearshoring, especially at A1 Telekom Austria. The trade unionists: Inside, warn that nearshoring not only leads to the endangerment of competitiveness, but also lost valuable competence and know-how in the country. They demand that ÖBAG take a more active role in strengthening Austria location and persuading companies to refrain from Nearhoring.

The role of A1 Telekom Austria

A1 Telekom Austria, which is represented in the ÖBAG portfolio, has reduced almost 1,300 jobs in Austria in the past three years. This is done against the background that the company, as the leading provider of digital services and communication solutions in the CEE region, serves around 25 million customers in seven core markets. Despite the record profits, the current corporate policy of A1 is regarded as a violation of the syndicate contract, which provides for maintaining the company headquarters and essential functions in Austria. The trade unionists make it clear that this reduction of jobs not only affects the workforce, but also endangered the entire added value in the country.

The syndicate contract, which is valid until 2033, requires that the company headquarters and important functions remain in Austria. Nevertheless, the developments at A1 Telekom Austria, which is part of the majority stake in América Móvil, put pressure on this contract. As part of this problem, an application was submitted to the General Assembly of the Workers' Chamber of Vienna on May 27, 2025 to move companies with ÖBAG participation to terminate nearshoring.

competitiveness and need for action

In a more comprehensive context, 2025 showed a decreasing trend for the Austria location in competitiveness. The "location radar", presented by Harald Breit, CEO of Deloitte Austria, states that the mood among executives on the economic situation is increasingly negative. 63% rate the bureaucracy as problematic, while 59% consider income taxation insufficiently. This indicates an urgent need for action to stabilize the economy and prevent the emigration of companies.

The data published by Kleine Zeitung that more than two thirds of the executives are negatively evaluated by risk capital-based and innovation-promoting measures. There is an urgent need for further investments in future fields such as digitization and artificial intelligence to ensure that Austria is not left behind in international competition.

Overall, it can be seen that both politics and the entrepreneurial decisions are relevant factors for the future stability of the Austrian business location. The demands of the trade unionists: Inside, according to a more active role of ÖBAG, it could therefore be crucial to bring about fundamental changes.

Details
OrtWien, Österreich
Quellen

Kommentare (0)