Lower Austria: Women's power with over 76,500 one-person companies!

Lower Austria: Women's power with over 76,500 one-person companies!

Lower Austria is a pioneer in the area of one-person companies (EPU): With over 76,500 EPU, which make up more than two thirds (65.9 percent) of all companies in the region, the federal state provides the highest proportion of EPU in Austria. It is particularly noteworthy that more than half of these companies (55.8 percent) are managed by women, which underlines the role of women in the economy. These numbers, which are reported by oe24 2023 to 2024 increased by 1.3 percent.

The strongest presence of the EPU can be found in the trade and craft, where around every second EPU is active. In addition, life and social counseling, passenger care as well as trade and consulting are also sought-after areas. Chamber of Commerce President Wolfgang Ecker describes EPU as the "small power packages" of the domestic economy and sees great potential for the future, especially through the reduction of bureaucracy and the improvement of the framework.

Backgrounds to found the EPU

A comprehensive study by KMW Research Austria on behalf of the Austria Chamber of Commerce shows that around 360,000 one-person companies are registered in Austria. According to information from wko are the main reasons for the establishment of EPU mostly personal nature. 80 percent of the respondents state that they have the desire for independence, while 76 percent want to realize themselves. The possibility of a flexible time division is particularly relevant for women, which is reflected in the 51.2 percent of the EPU that are led by women.

In addition, the economic situation of the EPU has stabilized according to the challenges of the corona crisis. Around 20 percent of the EPU generate more than 100,000 euros, and 64 percent have won more than ten customers in the past twelve months. An interesting detail is that 26 percent of the EPU are active in export and 33 percent of these companies achieve 50 percent or more of their sales abroad, with Germany, Switzerland and Italy are the most important markets.

challenges and wishes of the EPU

The use of artificial intelligence plays a role for 75 percent of the EPU. Nevertheless, many entrepreneurs face challenges, such as low professional expertise and data protection concerns. According to the same study, 80 percent of the EPU want further training measures and consultations to optimize their business models.

In order to further improve the framework conditions for EPU, several demands were made to politics. These include increasing the sales tax exemption limit to 85,000 euros, an increase in the depreciation limit for low -value assets to 2,000 euros and better social security for the self -employed. The demands recognize the increasing importance of the EPU for the economy and could further drive its development, emphasizes the Orf .