New salary increases: Trade employees receive 3.3 percent more!

New salary increases: Trade employees receive 3.3 percent more!

The year 2025 brings drastic changes for the Austrian population. In the next twelve months, many have to prepare for higher living costs: gas and electricity prices increase noticeably, sometimes by several hundred euros per household. This results from increased network costs and the restoration of reduced taxes, while the electricity price brake expires. In addition, municipal services, fees and travel expenses are also charged by increased CO2 tax and more expensive autobahn vignettes, such as the Kleine Zeitung reported.

Another important point is the introduction of the disposable deposit for plastic bottles and aluminum cans, which will come into force from 2025. 25 cents of deposit are due per bottle or can, which should help increase the recycling quota in Austria. There are also significant changes in the field of education: the training of elementary school teachers is being trained in a practical way, while the costs are increasing in the health sector, since Amalgam is banned as tooth filling material from the coming year.

wage increases in trade

good news, on the other hand, is available from the trade: the wages of the employees increase by 3.3 percent in 2025. The GPA union and employers have agreed on this collective agreement after intensive negotiations. The conclusion is considered a compromise, with the prospect of an increase of a further 0.5 percent above inflation in 2026, but only on the condition that inflation does not increase over 3 percent. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in the apprenticeship wage in the first year of apprenticeship from 880 to 1,000 euros, which means a significant increase of 14 percent, reports Press .

Although the negotiators were painful, it was emphasized that the agreement should ensure sustainable salary development. The difficult location in retail, which is reinforced by the persistent crisis, was also taken into account, so that there could now be room for a reform within the collective contracts. Employers and employee representatives tried to keep the economic framework stable in the coming years.