Civil service remains popular. Currently, 11,798 young men are fulfilling their alternative military service, as Minister Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP) announced during the presentation of quarterly figures on Tuesday. The demand for civil servants can therefore be consistently met. After reaching the highest number in seven years in the comparison quarter of the previous year, the demand coverage remains stable at 90.6%.

Of the 3,043 civil servants from the first quarter of 2025, 41.6% were assigned to emergency services. 24.55% were assigned to social and disability services, and 11.24% were placed in elderly care facilities. While 9.43% of them served in hospitals, other areas such as disaster relief, refugee and child care, and public safety account for around 3% or less.

Large Disparities Between Federal States

While, for example, Styria with 95.6% and Vienna with 95.1% show above-average demand coverage, Carinthia is significantly behind with only 63.8%. Asked about this, Plakolm stated that “no specific reasons” could be given. However, one must take demographic changes into account, and the goal is to “meet the demand.” This is achieved by people who complete a voluntary social year, as well as through volunteer workers.

Plakolm also pointed out that the base salary has now increased to 605.60 euros plus meal allowances. In 2019, it was still 339 euros. As for the discussed extension of mandatory military service, Plakolm did not want to make any commitments at this time. Due to the changing geopolitical situation, “a commission will be established to deal with Austria’s defense readiness.” Concrete conclusions can only be drawn after the results are available, Plakolm said.

Military Service for Women Not a Topic

Regarding mandatory military service for women, as recently decided in Denmark, Plakolm stated that there is currently “no majority” for this. Instead, voluntary offers are important. For example, 80% of young women take advantage of the opportunity to complete a voluntary social year. This allows them to “get to know the profession before starting education in social or care professions.”