Austria’s labor market is cracking under a reality officials can’t disguise: 43% of all unemployed people in the country are immigrants, turning a long-sold promise of “qualified labor” into one of Europe’s most visible economic failures. The AMS figures paint a brutal picture. Syrian unemployment has nearly doubled since 2019, Vienna is overwhelmed by soaring reliance on state aid, and almost half of foreign-born jobseekers have only basic schooling. Large numbers still speak little or no German even after more than a year in the country, making integration nearly impossible in an economy already in recession. This isn’t a temporary spike. It’s a structural implosion driven by constant inflows, low education levels, weak language skills and a welfare system stretched to its limits. Austria now has fewer contributors, more dependents and a social model absorbing pressures it was never built to handle. Politicians promised skilled workers. What Austria got instead is a crisis with a very clear statistical face. Source: Europa Press

Mario Nawfal

@MarioNawfal