With salary structures often unclear within Austrian companies, the 2025 Salary Report from job portal Stepstone highlights which industries offer the highest wages – and which pay less.
Based on an analysis of over 50,000 salaries, the report found that the median gross annual income in Austria is €55,000. This means that half of workers earn more, while the other half earn less. The top 25% of earners make €71,000 or more, while the bottom 25% earn €43,500 or less.
Top-Paying Industries in Austria
- Banking: €71,750
- IT and Internet: €69,000
- Pharmaceuticals: €68,500
- Chemical and Petroleum Processing: €68,000
- Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing: €66,750
- Energy and Water Supply/Disposal: €65,250
- Automotive Manufacturing and Supply: €64,750
- Insurance: €64,500
- Aerospace: €63,750
- Financial Services: €63,250
Lowest-Paying Industries in Austria
- Hospitality, Catering and Tourism: €43,000
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: €47,000
- Leisure, Tourism, Culture and Sport: €50,000
- Mining: €50,500
- Transport and Logistics: €50,750
- Staffing Services: €50,750
- Trades: €51,250
- Wood and Furniture Manufacturing: €51,250
- Advertising, Marketing and PR: €52,000
- Wholesale and Retail Trade: €53,000
Significant Salary Disparities Within Sectors
Even within individual sectors, salary gaps can be considerable. For example, in retail, while sales staff earn a median of €38,000, those working in e-commerce earn €50,000. In the hospitality industry, service staff typically earn €32,000, while food and beverage managers earn around €55,250.
These disparities are also evident in higher-paying industries such as IT. Web designers earn a median salary of €54,500, while IT security specialists make €74,250, and software architects can command up to €87,250.
