The AMS already has a pilot project for under 25-year-olds that is very successful. The participants mainly come from Syria and Afghanistan. According to Kopf, Syrians currently have a good chance of receiving a positive asylum application. The government must support these people, but also challenge them. Integration is a give and take, said Kopf on Thursday evening.

In principle, the head of the AMS considers the negotiators of the "Zuckerl" coalition to be "very responsible". According to his own statement, he has been involved again and again for 20 years. At the moment, there is a need to make savings on the one hand, but also a need to invest in growth on the other. A contradiction, but action is the antidote to despair, Kopf quoted the environmentally committed US singer Joan Chandos Baez.

"Not good news for competitiveness"
Austria currently has record employment despite the recession (fewer goods and services are being produced, note). Kopf explained this by saying that the population is working fewer hours - "not good news for the country's competitiveness". In principle, there is constant movement on the labor market, for example through job changes and parental leave, he commented on the latest unemployment figures. He was not optimistic.

As reported, 426,012 people were looking for work across Austria at the end of December 2024, putting the unemployment rate at 8.3 percent. In terms of federal states, Upper Austria was hit the hardest, followed by Salzburg. Of all education levels, the increase in academics was the highest.

According to Kopf, they are also the ones who often take educational leave, although it was not intended to promote bar examinations. The extension of maternity leave was also not intended. A reform is needed so that more low-skilled workers can take advantage of the offer.

Unemployment is likely to rise further this year. Kopf expects an increase of 15,000 people.

This article has been automatically translated,
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