Within hours of the government’s Skilled-Labour announcement, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ) issued a sharply worded statement calling for immediate implementation details. Secretary-General Jochen Danninger said member companies “cannot wait another year” for faster work-permit processing and warned that baby-boomer retirements will widen the labour gap unless foreign-talent channels open quickly. (wko.at)
WKÖ supports the strategy’s three-pillar design but stresses that apprenticeships alone will not plug shortages in IT, engineering and healthcare. Danninger welcomed the idea of extending the Red-White-Red Card to labour-leasing firms—a long-standing business demand—and backed a proposed pilot allowing adult apprentices from third countries. He also pressed for full digitalisation of filings, real-time status tracking and a “statutory 4-week SLA” for permit decisions. (wko.at)
![Austrian Chamber of Commerce urges ‘rapid, digital’ rollout of new Red-White-Red Card rules]()
The Chamber is lobbying for funding to expand labour-market training vouchers and to increase budgets for regional immigration offices (Bezirkshauptmannschaften), arguing many are already over-stretched. In a tacit swipe at the Interior Ministry, WKÖ says that unless back-office staffing is bolstered, “new legal entitlements will merely shift queues online.”
For mobility teams, the statement signals that business pressure may shorten lead-times sooner than official legislation. Companies should monitor WKÖ’s consultation papers—often precursors to amendments inserted during the parliamentary committee stage.
WKÖ supports the strategy’s three-pillar design but stresses that apprenticeships alone will not plug shortages in IT, engineering and healthcare. Danninger welcomed the idea of extending the Red-White-Red Card to labour-leasing firms—a long-standing business demand—and backed a proposed pilot allowing adult apprentices from third countries. He also pressed for full digitalisation of filings, real-time status tracking and a “statutory 4-week SLA” for permit decisions. (wko.at)
The Chamber is lobbying for funding to expand labour-market training vouchers and to increase budgets for regional immigration offices (Bezirkshauptmannschaften), arguing many are already over-stretched. In a tacit swipe at the Interior Ministry, WKÖ says that unless back-office staffing is bolstered, “new legal entitlements will merely shift queues online.”
For mobility teams, the statement signals that business pressure may shorten lead-times sooner than official legislation. Companies should monitor WKÖ’s consultation papers—often precursors to amendments inserted during the parliamentary committee stage.
