Vienna’s schools will need around 200 more teachers in the coming months, according to the city’s interim Education Director, Arno Langmeier.

In an interview with ORF, Langmeier explained that while over 1,800 teachers have already been hired for this school year, more are needed as new classes are opening. He noted that teaching positions are advertised monthly.

The interview follows a large protest in Vienna last week, where several thousand people demonstrated against teacher shortages and issues of overwork.

When asked about the protest, Langmeier said that the shortage of skilled workers is a nationwide issue across all sectors, not just in education, and is driven by demographic changes.

He added that the City of Vienna is making efforts to support the Education Directorate in attracting teachers: “With the job ticket, which has now been introduced at the start of the school year, with the school group ticket, which also allows parents to take their children on free school trips within Vienna.”

According to the Education Directorate, Vienna employs over 30,000 teachers in total, with 16,000 working in compulsory schools and 14,000 in federal schools.