Austria is considering increasing its seasonal worker quota to address the ongoing shortage of staff in the tourism and leisure sectors.

A new proposal from the Ministry of Labour would add 490 positions to the current quota of 4,495 seasonal workers from non-EU countries.

Labour Minister Martin Kocher explained that the aim is to “counteract staff shortages in sectors currently experiencing positive economic growth.” The expanded quota would be distributed regionally across Austria’s federal states.

Unions Call for Fairer Conditions

While welcoming the discussion around expanding the quota, the trade union vida has called for stronger protections for workers. “We believe it is essential to introduce clear, well-defined rules,” vida said in a statement. The union proposed that increasing the quota should be accompanied by guarantees for “fair working conditions, protection against precarious employment, and measures to integrate workers into the domestic labour market.”

The Austrian Economic Federation (Wirtschaftsbund Österreich) echoed these calls, urging the government to go beyond simply increasing the quota. It called for “comprehensive measures, such as incentives for top performers, reforms to working time models, the promotion of qualified immigration, and reductions in bureaucracy for businesses.”

The Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV), in turn, has also called for the “removal of the quota cap altogether.”

Since 2022, Austria has already increased the seasonal worker quota by around 3,000 positions. The consultation period for the latest proposal will close on 16 December, after which the government will review feedback before finalising the changes.