The Arbeiterkammer has rejected the accusation of “lifestyle part-time work.” According to an analysis by WIFO based on the 2024 microcensus, many people are not working reduced hours voluntarily, but because of caregiving responsibilities, education, excessive workload, or the lack of full-time positions.
AK President Renate Anderl stated in a press release that many employees have no choice but to work part-time. The analysis is based on the 2024 microcensus of Statistik Austria.
Part-Time Work: Major Differences Between Women and Men
In Austria, every second woman, but only every eighth man, works part-time. Among those under 30, education is the most common reason: 36.2 percent of women and 18.8 percent of men in this age group work part-time.
The gap widens significantly among those aged 30 to 49. More than every second woman, but only every tenth man, does not work full-time. The main reason here is childcare or caring for relatives. Only 16.6 percent of men cite caregiving duties as a reason.
For children under 15, the part-time rate for women is 79.5 percent, compared to just under eight percent for men. If the children are older than 15, the rate for women drops to 60 percent, while it remains almost unchanged for men. According to the AK, the share of women citing caregiving responsibilities as a reason is three times higher than the EU-27 average.
That women largely assume caregiving responsibilities “is not an individual problem, but a structural failure,” said ÖGB Vice President and Federal Women’s Chair Christa Hörmann in a statement.
Part-Time Often the Only Option for Women
Many women without caregiving duties do not even have a choice between full-time and part-time work. Particularly for migrant women, part-time work is often the only way into the labor market, according to the analysis.
The response “does not want full-time work” must also be viewed in a differentiated manner, the AK stated. High workloads, for example in nursing, or the lack of full-time positions in retail and cleaning, play a role. In addition, 8.7 percent of part-time employees have a second job—compared with 4.3 percent of full-time workers.
170,000 Want to Work More Hours
“Part-time employees do not work less because they are lazy or for fun, but because they are reaching their limits,” Anderl emphasized.
“Around 170,000 part-time employees in Austria would like to increase their working hours by an average of twelve hours per week—this potential should be better utilized,” said WIFO Director Gabriel Felbermayr. This would require nationwide, affordable childcare, expanded care services, and fair career opportunities.
The Wirtschaftskammer Österreich (WKÖ) made a similar point: “Important incentives for additional work also include tax benefits for overtime as well as the planned tax allowance for additional earnings during retirement,” said WKÖ Secretary General Jochen Danninger in a statement. On one point there is agreement: further expansion of childcare is urgently needed to enable parents to work full-time.
AK Calls for Overtime Premiums From First Extra Hour
Part-time employees should no longer be used as a cheap flexibility reserve, the AK stated. Additional hours should be compensated from the first extra hour at the same premium rates as overtime, with the premium rising to 50 percent.
After three months of regular additional hours, there should also be a right to increase contractual hours. The AK refers to studies suggesting that healthy full-time work lies between 30 and 35 hours per week.
The Industriellenvereinigung (IV) rejected calls for a statutory reduction in working hours. “In a phase of weak economic growth, high unit labor costs, and growing international competition, such measures would entail additional costs for Austria as a business location,” said IV Secretary General Christoph Neumayer. The IV, like the WKÖ, is also critical of a right to increase working hours. Targeted incentives for full-time and longer working hours would be more important, Neumayer added.
