Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Austria: the labour market
Labour force is 4.8m (2025), 91st of 187 in the world and 22nd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 60.1% (2025), 104th of 187 in the world and 25th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 55.1% (2025), 82nd of 187 in the world and 23rd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Austria
Participation rate
AustriaEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Austria in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 4.8m2025 | 91/187 | 22/49 | 3.9m | 4.3m | 4.6m | +6.6%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 60.1%2025 | 104/187 | 25/49 | 58.4% | 59.9% | 60.4% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 55.1%2025 | 82/187 | 23/49 | 49.0% | 53.6% | 55.2% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 56.8%2025 | 98/187 | 23/49 | 55.7% | 57.0% | 57.2% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.6%2025 | 83/187 | 25/49 | 4.7% | 4.9% | 5.2% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.2%2025 | 105/187 | 30/49 | 4.6% | 4.7% | 5.0% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 11.0%2025 | 106/187 | 34/49 | 6.3% | 9.7% | 10.3% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 13.4%2025 | 117/170 | 15/46 | 7.9% | 10.8% | 11.4% | +2.4 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 87.8%2025 | 28/187 | 14/49 | 84.8% | 84.8% | 87.1% | +1.6 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 7.9%2025 | 162/187 | 37/49 | 11.8% | 11.3% | 9.0% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 2.8%2025 | 151/187 | 35/49 | 5.6% | 5.4% | 3.9% | −1.8 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 24.6%2025 | 45/187 | 22/49 | 29.2% | 24.7% | 24.9% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 72.6%2025 | 49/187 | 20/49 | 65.3% | 69.8% | 71.3% | +2.9 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+0.2 pp55.1% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.2 pp5.6% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.2 pp5.2% in 2025
- Wage workers+1.6 pp87.8% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Youth unemployment+0.1 pp11.0% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate+2.4 pp13.4% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Austria and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Austria. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Austria | Germany | Italy | Czechia | Hungary | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 4.8m2025 | 43.5m2025 | 25.7m2025 | 5.6m2025 | 4.9m2025 | 5.2m2025 |
| Participation rate | 60.1%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 49.3%2025 | 60.3%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 66.7%2025 |
| Women's participation | 55.1%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 40.8%2025 | 53.5%2025 | 54.3%2025 | 62.2%2025 |
| Employment rate | 56.8%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 46.2%2025 | 58.6%2025 | 57.8%2025 | 63.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.6%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 2.8%2025 | 4.5%2025 | 4.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.2%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 4.4%2025 | 5.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 11.0%2025 | 6.9%2025 | 20.5%2025 | 9.2%2025 | 14.2%2025 | 9.0%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 13.4%2025 | 8.2%2025 | 9.9%2025 | 4.9%2025 | 9.5%2025 | 7.0%2025 |
| Wage workers | 87.8%2025 | 91.9%2025 | 78.9%2025 | 84.3%2025 | 88.4%2025 | 83.1%2025 |