In Styria

Unemployment: “Do not expect a trend reversal”

The Styrian AMS regional managing director Karl-Heinz Snobe.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Almost 53,000 Styrians were without a job at the end of December - another significant increase compared to the same month last year. "Unfortunately, the recession still has us firmly in its grip, which is why we have to assume that unemployment figures will continue to rise in the coming months," emphasizes AMS Regional Managing Director Karl-Heinz Snobe.

As expected, the negative trend on the Styrian labor market continued in December. At the end of the year, 45,095 people were registered as unemployed with the AMS, an increase of 3619 people or 8.7 percent. Including training participants, 52,920 Styrians are currently unemployed (up 7.3 percent).

On the other hand, the number of employed persons in the province is falling slightly: it is down by 3000 people to 532,000. Job vacancies are also continuing to fall, with 11,092 currently registered with the AMS.

Higher increase for women than for men
Although unemployment in industry and commerce ("production of goods") rose by more than 20 percent and many construction workers also "clock out" in winter, the overall increase in unemployment among women (12.8 percent) was even higher than among men (6.5 percent). Regionally, only the districts of Liezen and Murau, which are characterized by tourism, recorded a slight decrease in the rate, while the increase was particularly strong in Graz, Weiz and Voitsberg.

Styrian AMS regional managing director Snobe's outlook is not promising: "We do not expect to see a trend reversal in the coming months, unemployment figures will probably continue to rise."