From IV and WKO:

190 demands to the new Styrian state government

The Styrian economy is currently on the ropes.

(Bild: Georg Ott)

The white-green captains of industry are sounding the alarm: the Federation of Austrian Industries and the Styrian Economic Chamber have now addressed a total of 190 demands to the new provincial government - and they are quite something.

The domestic economy has been in recession for a good two years - and the signs are unmistakable. Exactly one month before the state elections, the Federation of Austrian Industries and the Chamber of Commerce are now sounding the alarm shoulder to shoulder.

Together with member companies and stakeholders, the IV has developed 90 measures that can be implemented by the state in order to turn the tide. Together with Joanneum Research and the University of Graz, the WKO drew up a future program with 100 measures for a "performance-friendly Styria". Although both programs were presented independently of each other yesterday, there are unmistakable overlaps.

Presented demands of the IV: Christoph Robinson, Markus Ritter, Kurt Maier, Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau, Alfred Marchler and Nina Zechner (from left).

(Bild: Foto Fischer)

Labor market: Despite rising unemployment figures, the shortage of skilled workers is omnipresent in Styria. "Demographic change is increasingly becoming a key challenge. The remaining employment potential has largely been exhausted," says Erich Kirschner, economist at Joanneum Research. The experts see the solution in qualified immigration. For example, the IV is calling for a faster admission procedure for international skilled workers through a competence center for the Red-White-Red Card.

Politics: The most far-reaching demand here comes from industry: it is calling for a new distribution of departments in the future state government. In future, there should be a location department (energy, infrastructure, climate & environment) and a future department (work, education, research & science and economy).

Administration: In addition to a reduction in non-wage labor costs to 23 percent based on the German model, industry and business are calling for an end to the EU's regulatory madness and Austria's "gold plating".

In focus: The Styrian Chamber of Commerce also presented a comprehensive catalog of measures to mark its 175th anniversary.

(Bild: Foto Fischer, Graz)

Infrastructure: The central topic here remains the three-lane expansion of the A 9 highway in the south of Graz and the connection of the airport to the Koralm Railway. This must generally be better utilized.

Childcare: In order to reduce the high part-time employment rate, especially among women, an expansion of childcare is called for. Styria ranks last in Austria when it comes to the compatibility of family and career.

The three-lane expansion of the A 9 is one of the central points of the infrastructure demands of the IV and WKO.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

"Decisive turning point"
IV boss Kurt Maier wants to shake things up, "show solutions and bring back optimism". "We are at a decisive turning point and without a change of course, a long phase of stagnation threatens." His WKO counterpart Josef Herk sees it similarly: "The historically proven crisis resilience and crisis resolution expertise at an economic and political level is a thoroughly Styrian characteristic that needs to be rediscovered if we want to bring Styria successfully into the coming decade." It remains to be seen how much of this will reach the new provincial government.