At the end of November, 399,199 people were unemployed or enrolled in training programs, an increase of 4.0 percent — or 15,236 individuals — compared with the previous year, the Public Employment Service (AMS) announced today.
This marks the 32nd consecutive increase since April 2023, with no monthly decline recorded since then. The unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points in November, reaching 7.5 percent.
Lower Austria and Styria more heavily affected
The sharpest increases occurred in the federal states of Lower Austria (up 6.9 percent) and Styria (5.7 percent). Significant rises were also seen in Burgenland (up 4.9 percent) and Tyrol (4.0 percent), while the increases were somewhat lower in Upper Austria (3.9 percent), Salzburg (3.7 percent), Vorarlberg (3.3 percent), and Vienna (3.0 percent).
As in the previous month, Carinthia stood out positively, recording only a 0.7 percent rise, just 144 additional people.
Sharp increase among women
By sector, the AMS reported the strongest increases in health and social services (up 16.8 percent), retail (up 7.4 percent), transportation and warehousing (up 6.7 percent), and manufacturing/industry (up 5.2 percent). Unemployment among women rose sharply once again, increasing by 6.2 percent — significantly higher than the rise among men (2.1 percent).
“We know that the labor market situation is particularly difficult for women in several areas. That is precisely why targeted measures and real support are needed. The AMS allocates around 670 million euros each year for this,” said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) in a ministry statement.
Kopf: ‘No rapid improvement in sight’
A quick recovery is not expected. “Early indications of the forecasted recovery in 2026, such as a slight decline in unemployment in temporary employment, are visible only with goodwill and a magnifying glass, and are so minimal that they point more to modest stabilization than real economic growth in the new year,” said AMS board member Johannes Kopf.
A troubling trend also continued in the number of registered job vacancies, which fell by 13.2 percent year-on-year to 71,933 at the end of November. A similar development is seen in apprenticeships, where the number of available positions dropped by 17.3 percent compared with the previous year.
