Vienna Annual Report

Minimum income: Two thirds not Austrians

(Bild: APA/Barbara Gindl, thinkstockphotos.de, krone.at-Grafik)

The minimum income costs Vienna hundreds of millions of euros. Now we also know who gets the money.

First the good news: The final version of the annual report on minimum income 2023 is finally available. And: despite an increase of 15 percent, the costs of 795 million euros were still in line with the forecast. However, as reported, the forecast for 2024 needs to be improved to 1.1 billion euros and 1.3 billion euros for 2025.

Reflection of the social emergency
Otherwise, the comprehensive report reads like a reflection of the social emergency. Around 142,000 people were dependent on this support last year. That is an increase of almost six percent. But it also means that seven percent of Vienna's total population cannot make ends meet on their own.

Last year, the number of non-Austrians on minimum benefits rose by over nine percent.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

Already 62 percent foreigners
A frequent point of criticism: the proportion of foreign recipients and those entitled to asylum and subsidiary protection. Here too, the report provides a detailed insight and is grist to the mill of critics. As many as 62 percent of minimum income recipients do not have an Austrian passport. That is an increase of 9.2 percent. According to the report, this is primarily "due to the influx of people entitled to asylum and subsidiary protection".

We must finally put an end to the policy of inviting people who do not want to enter the labor market here, but only want to benefit from our social system. The excessive social benefits in Vienna must finally be a thing of the past.

Karl Mahrer, ÖVP-Landesparteiobmann

Bild: KRONEN ZEITUNG

The growth rates: A whopping 25 percent for those entitled to protection and 8.5 percent for those entitled to asylum. In both areas, the majority are men. Many of them are minors, which "indicates births and family reunifications". This leads to another problem: more than half of the minimum income recipients - 79,500 people - are now not available to the labor market.

It is no wonder that almost all tolerated asylum seekers are drawn to Vienna.

Dominik Nepp, FPÖ Wien-Chef

Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth

City recovers 42 million euros
However, for the first time, the report also lists clawbacks for non-compliance with conditions. In 2023, 53,173 reclaims were made - more than 4,400 cases per month. The city thus reclaimed almost 42 million euros last year.

Reactions from the ÖVP and FPÖ
Reactions from the opposition were also not long in coming. ÖVP provincial party chairman Karl Mahrer: "We must finally put an end to the policy of inviting people who only want to benefit from our social system. The excessive social benefits in Vienna must finally be a thing of the past."

Once again, Mahrer is calling for social benefits for people entitled to subsidiary protection to be capped at the level of basic benefits and for the minimum security rates for children in multi-child families to be staggered.
FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp speaks of an alarming development in view of the high proportion of non-Austrians: "This is leading our social system into the abyss."